Fear God, Fear Nothing Else— Two2Grow, June 3
Fear God, Fear Nothing Else— Two2Grow, June 3
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27 NIV
My spiritual mother is an eighty-year-old Kenyan woman of God. One of her favorite songs has this part in it that she often reminds me of:
Fear him, you saints, and you will then
have nothing else to fear;
make serving him your sole delight,
your wants shall be his care.
Isn’t that a powerful truth? Fear God, and you have nothing else to fear!
The same Jesus who tells us not to be afraid of disaster, disease, death, or the devil also says that we are to fear God (see Luke 12:5). Now, that can set our thinking off in the wrong direction. To fear God doesn’t mean we are afraid of Him in the same way we may feel in the face of danger, sickness, poverty, war, or public shame. Being afraid of something is destructive and limiting. Fearing God is altogether different. It is freeing and empowering. Remember this: God is not frightening—He is holy. We are not afraid of God, but we fear Him.
Basically, fearing God means that we realize God's greatness and our own insignificance. It is a deep respect. This kind of fear is what a matchstick feels in relation to the sun, a drop of water in relation to the ocean, or an ant in relation to an elephant—you get the idea. The way to increase in the fear of God is to gain a greater revelation of God’s power and holy love.
Fearing God is the end of being afraid.
Father, open my eyes today to Your greatness so that I can fear You and, in that, be free from all other fears, so that I no longer have to be afraid. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
My spiritual mother is an eighty-year-old Kenyan woman of God. One of her favorite songs has this part in it that she often reminds me of:
Fear him, you saints, and you will then
have nothing else to fear;
make serving him your sole delight,
your wants shall be his care.
Isn’t that a powerful truth? Fear God, and you have nothing else to fear!
The same Jesus who tells us not to be afraid of disaster, disease, death, or the devil also says that we are to fear God (see Luke 12:5). Now, that can set our thinking off in the wrong direction. To fear God doesn’t mean we are afraid of Him in the same way we may feel in the face of danger, sickness, poverty, war, or public shame. Being afraid of something is destructive and limiting. Fearing God is altogether different. It is freeing and empowering. Remember this: God is not frightening—He is holy. We are not afraid of God, but we fear Him.
Basically, fearing God means that we realize God's greatness and our own insignificance. It is a deep respect. This kind of fear is what a matchstick feels in relation to the sun, a drop of water in relation to the ocean, or an ant in relation to an elephant—you get the idea. The way to increase in the fear of God is to gain a greater revelation of God’s power and holy love.
Fearing God is the end of being afraid.
Father, open my eyes today to Your greatness so that I can fear You and, in that, be free from all other fears, so that I no longer have to be afraid. Amen.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD