Dec 25
Is 41:13 - For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
We are commanded to “Fear Not!” But this command is surrounded by two comforting promises. This verse is broken into three parts, and for each part, God clarifies His authority and identity by saying “I”. I, the Lord your God. I Say to you. I am the one. And the two comforting promises that surround the command are that he holds our right hand, like a father to a child, to guide, protect and to offer assurance that he helps us. The reason we fear not is because he is intimately involved in the affairs of our life to protect and help us.
1 Sa 12:14-15 - If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
It is impossible to separate our fearing the Lord, serving the Lord and obeying the Lord. These three seem to fit together as one. I do not think it is possible to do one without the other. You will not obey God without fearing Him. You cannot fear Him without serving Him. You will not serve Him if you do not obey Him. In this verse there is an encouragement and a warning. It is a striking image that when we fear Him, his hand his holding our hand. But when we do not fear him, his hand will be against us. It is so apparent how fear can be used for good or for bad. And, so much rides on how we treat this emotion. Will we in our lack of faith fear those circumstances around us? If we do, not only will our peace be disturbed, but God’s hand will be against us. But, if we seek Him in faith in our fear, God will hold our hand and He will help us.
