Fear

[This musing is a continuation from August 5, 2020]

With China, a split country, the election, and COVID 19 – fear is gripping the nation.  To the COVID pandemic fear, we hunkered down for weeks in our homes and now face the threat of transmission even from those asymptomatic.  Fear has gripped many and great fear has gripped some.

Fear is a powerful, powerful emotion that drives much of what we do.  Why do we buy insurance?  Why do we exercise (heart and health)?  Why do we get weak-kneed at the edge of a precipice?  Why do we fight death (fear of the other side)?  Why do we dutifully pay our taxes (the IRS has agents!)?

FEAR from The Century Dictionary: a painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil or harm, and accompanied by a strong desire to escape it; an active feeling of dread of which fright and terror are the intenser degrees; hence, apprehension or dread in general.

FEAR from The American Heritage Dictionary:  A very unpleasant or disturbing feeling caused by the presence or imminence of danger.

Men have a FEAR…

of job loss (what will I do?)

of cancer (don’t smoke!)

of pain (talk or we will torture you)

of diet pop (Alzheimer’s)

of divorce (legal fees and loss of reputation)

of financial ruin (retire in poverty)

of a child dying (put the helmet on!)

of the police (speed and go to a class and insurance rates go up)

of a child kidnapped (taken into trafficking)

of coronavirus (death)

of terrorists (bombings)

And the one fear that is most important and impactful is a fear of God.

Mark Alan Williams (May 21, 2019):  Fear God and you’ll have nothing else to fear, because there is no one and nothing greater to fear than Him.  Many people are afraid of a multitude of things, but they may not fear God. To fear God means we acknowledge and respect His Holiness and power. In addition, it means to recognize our need for His wisdom and forgiveness. Also, those who fear Him are promised many blessings contained in the Bible.

It was the fear of God’s punishment because of my sins that kept me from coming to Him, and it was the same concern that led me to Jesus, when I understood the message of the cross. And after accepting Christ, I begin to see the fear of God as desirable. While I’m still a work in progress, I can see evidence of His grace and work in my life through the Holy Spirit.

But, there is one fear that we should all desire and that is the fear of God.  To fear God means that we realize the scope of His majesty and holiness. It means that we honor Him in how we live because we recognize that He is always watching. To fear God is to acknowledge His Sovereignty and power to give and take life; to extend grace and administer judgment.

Oswald Chambers: “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

Psalm 33:8 says, “Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him.”  (NLT)