One of the most repeated commands in the Bible tells us “do not fear.” That’s because fear is the default response whenever we can’t predict, control or understand what’s happening. God knows that fear, when left unchecked, will pull us away from Him. Fear will expose who or what we truly trust. It produces a fork in the road between what we say we believe and what we will actually do when things are out of our control. We often choose something opposite of what we say we believe. That’s why the Bible makes it clear that fear is not from God. Instead He gives us a of power, love and a sound mind. Those will help us choose what is right over what fear wants us to choose.
In 1 Samuel 8, Israel asked for a king. It displeased and upset Samuel. He felt rejected after years of leading the nation, but God reminded him that they were rejecting God not Samuel. As he gave them his parting words in chapter 12, Samuel exposes why they really requested a king. Verse 12 says, “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king” (NLT). When they gave into fear, they replaced God as their ruler with Saul. It makes me wonder where have I asked for a “king” in my life that God was already the ruler of.
Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, But we will remember and trust in the name of the Lord our God” (AMP). Chariots and horses represent human solutions to our problems they way Israel chose a king. When fear arises in our life, we will either choose to trust in something that can be counted, controlled or visible to us or we can choose to trust in God. When fear raises its head in our life, God offers an anchor of safety in the middle of chaos. He invites us to trust in Him instead of the substitute strengths and false kings that fear points us to. Our hope is not in the creation or something we can manufacture, but in the name above all names that has never failed or abandoned His people.
Photo by Carlos N. Cuatzo Meza on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 