Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
There are many things in
such a world as ours that can bring fear into human hearts—fear of safety, fear
of war, fear of rejection, fear of the dark, and a multitude of others. Some
fears are rational, some are foolish, but all are very serious to those who
experience them. The good news of the gospel, however, can set us free from
every fear. Remember that fear entered the world when sin entered the world. “I was afraid,” Adam explained when God
found him hiding in the garden after eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis
3:10. The second reference to fear in the Bible, on the other hand, was when “the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a
vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great
reward” in Genesis 15:1. The Lord protects us and provides for us; we have
His Word and need “fear no evil”.
At least 19 times in the New
Testament we hear the words “fear not” or “be not afraid” on the lips of
Christ. Whenever phobias beset us or fears discourage us, deliverance is ours
when we seek the Lord. Then “we may
boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto
me” (Hebrews 13:6). Even if we must sometimes “suffer for righteousness’
sake, happy are you: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled” (1
Peter 3:14).
Perhaps the greatest fear of
all is the fear of death, but the Lord delivers us even from this fear, for He
has conquered death. In His glorified body, He has said, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was
dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and
of death” (Revelation 1:17-18).
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