Whom Shall I Fear?

I’m afraid of speed and that I’ll fall and break my neck so I don’t ski. I’m afraid of heights so I will never sky dive or go bungee jumping. That kind of fear is okay with me; I’m keeping myself physically safe. I'm comfortable with both feet on solid ground. I’m not missing out on anything that I really want to do because of that fear. But I have other fears that do hold me back.

Several years ago my koinonia did a short study of the John Ortberg book, If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat. Matthew 14 tells he story of the disciples’ fear when they saw Jesus walking on the stormy Sea of Galilee. Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” So Jesus said, “Come.” Peter started out walking on the water but became afraid when he saw the wind and he began to sink. He cried out for Jesus to save him. Jesus caught Peter and said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

I pulled out my notes from the study and found my answer to a question about what it is that keeps me in the boat: fear of rejection, ridicule, and attention (scrutiny). Obviously, I didn’t take any action to get over those fears or I wouldn’t be writing about them today.

Last night, I turned to the dictionary/concordance pages of my study Bible to find out what the Bible says about fear. There were many references to having fear of the Lord. To me that kind of fear means reverence and respect for God’s holiness and power. I’m good with that. There were numerous other references to the not so good kinds of fear that many of us have - fear of the unknown, fear of our fellow man and what he thinks of us.

David wrote (Psalm 27:1):

The Lord is my light and my salvation — 
whom shall I fear?
 The Lord is the stronghold of my life — 
of whom shall I be afraid?

I learned the King James Version of another verse about fear when I was a teenager (Isaiah 41:10):

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

When I reread this verse in the NIV version, I backed up a few verses for some context; the chapter is about how God chose Israel. In verse 9, it says: “I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and not rejected you.”  Why is that verse significant to me today? Because I also belong to God – God has not rejected me.

As long as I keep my feet on the firm foundation I have in God's word, I can take comfort from these verses in Isaiah 51:7-8:  

“Hear me, you who know what is right, you people who have taken my instruction to heart: Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
 or be terrified by their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment; the worm will devour them like wool. But my righteousness will last forever,
 my salvation through all generations.

I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind. Whom Shall I Fear?

Originally posted by author on 11/18/2012