ODJ: fearing God
May 27, 2011
[The Lord] is the one you should fear (v.13).
READ: Isaiah 8:11-22
Several years ago, I went to the doctor for a checkup. I’d been feeling poorly for a while—tired, blue, and lethargic. I knew I needed to lose weight and return to exercising. However, sitting in that sterile medical room, across from a serious-looking doctor, my predicament finally sank in. My cholesterol was high, and my weight was out of control. I needed to change . . . or else. The dire possibilities scared me. Thankfully, I changed directions. But it took fear over my lifestyle’s consequences for me to find the courage to make the hard choices.
The prophet Isaiah had to confront Israel’s idolatry. The people, however, chose not to listen. They had too many competing concerns. They were concerned for their economic welfare and social status. They were fretful about their political enemies and fortunes. Israel abandoned God because fear gobbled up all their energy. To this, God simply said, “Don’t live in dread of what frightens them” (8:12). Rather, God suggested, “[The Lord] is the one you should fear” (v.13).
Our fears can’t dissipate on their own; something greater must overwhelm them. Scripture offers at least two things that overwhelm fear: God’s love for us (1 John 4:18) and our fear of God (Isaiah 8:13). Of course, fearing God is entirely different from every other fear we know. To fear God is not cowering in the corner like a petrified child hiding from an abusive parent. God isn’t abusive.
To fear God is to tremble at the truth that God is entirely holy and all-powerful and that everything (fears included) bow before this Mighty One. There’s freedom in knowing that when we fear (bow before, reverence, honor) God, we need not fear anything else. The God who is strong enough to make us quake is the one who tenderly comforts us with His love. —Winn Collier
How could you misinterpret the idea of fearing God? In what other areas of life has fear helped you?
Tweet This
Share on Facebook
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it-
RSS Feed
Related
ODJ: defended
December 3, 2011 David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him (v.2). READ: 1 Samuel 23:1-14 The past several years have been a significant training ground in surrender. Confronted with the truth of God’s Word, my husband and I realised that much of the way [...]
ODJ: risk takers
July 4, 2010 This is my command— be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (v.9). READ: Joshua 1:1-9 One of the saddest accounts in the Bible is recorded in the Old Testament book of Numbers (chapters 13-14). It’s the story of the [...]
ODJ: what we worship
February 6, 2011 Those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them (v.8). READ: Psalm 115:1-8 We resemble what we revere. When we worship money, we view ourselves and others in terms of our cash value. We see people as creditors, debtors, and customers, rather than as human beings made [...]
ODJ: human hybrids?
August 8, 2010 Then God said, “Let Us make human beings in Our image, to be like Us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth” (v.26). READ: Genesis 1:21-28 The idea of creatures half-human half-animal has been reserved for fables, [...]
Christian Courses
Day Of Discovery
Discover The Word
Discovery Series
Help For My Life
My Utmost For His Highest
Our Daily Bread
Our Daily Journey
RBC Ministries
WarungSateKaMu
Manasociety
雅米