This year the church I attend has been actively encouraging and promoting reading the Bible at least 4 days a week. I enjoy my quiet time in the Bible daily at 6:00 AM. I am not unique or special, it’s just been my rhythm. I will share with you that I had begun to get careless with this quiet time late in 2021. There was no real reason… isn’t that always the case? Boy, did I have some real legit excuses along with these excuse comes consequences. A great example of that: my car experienced catastrophic failure and I was faced with finding a replacement, fast! I had no preparation or plan in mind. It seemed to me to be the absolute worst time to buy a car, used or new! For the first time in a long time, I began to experience feelings of fear or worry. Now more than ever it seems that social media, the world’s many talking heads, news outlets, and friends and family relations are preaching and selling FEAR!

At one level fear is healthy. Nicky Gumbel shares in the Bible in One Year 2022 devotional, ”Fear is an emotion induced by a perceived threat. It is a natural human emotion”. Okay, but is there also such a thing as unhealthy fear? Why yes, there is in fact. Gumbel’s devotional goes on to say that the Greek word commonly used in the New Testament is “phobos” – from which we get the word phobia. This is unhealthy fear. Fears surrounding our health, finances (purchasing a new car), perceived failure, growing old, death, loneliness, rejection, public speaking, heights, snakes, and spiders are considered common.

Throughout my life, when reading the Bible, I would stumble across the text that would read “fear the Lord your God”. To be honest with you, I have never understood nor really accepted this passage. I have never been afraid of God! God is good and loves me even more that my earthly father. I never feared my earthly father and I certainly didn’t fear my heavenly Father. Respected, yes, feared no sir. Well, I had an aha moment reading sections of Proverbs. I read if you are wise, you will choose to “fear the Lord” and “listen to him”. This does not mean being frightened of God. In fact, it means the opposite. It is an understanding of who God is in relation to us. It means respect, reverence, awe, honor, adoration, and worship; it could even be translated as “love for God”. It recognizes the power, majesty, and holiness of God Almighty. It leads to a healthy respect of God and is the antidote to all other fears and phobias we experience in life. I have come to find a clearer understanding and appreciation that if you fear God, you need not fear anything else or anyone else.

Words like trust, surrender, worship, faith, peace, and sacrifice are the road maps that leads back to our faithful Father. I believe that we all need to return to a right relationship with God. So how and where do you or I ”return to a right relationship with God”? I heard clearly, when I listened to a recent message at church, that if I wanted to get closer to God and hear from him start reading the Bible! Here I am Lord. A fresh start in 2022. Committed to not just reading the Bible but making time to be still and listen for your soft quiet voice to speak to me to direct my steps. Honestly, I do still have fears! Some, I thought had gone away forever. However, I am committed to reading scripture every morning and sitting in the quiet of the early morning and just being still.

So, you may be wondering, what ever happened with my car crisis? I did bring my worries and fears to the Lord in prayer for several weeks, with no relief in sight. I was feeling that there was no good solution to my dilemma. Did I share with you that I’m not a “car guy”! My wife Cindy suggested that I call my friend Ray (changed his name to protect his privacy) who is a CFO of several automotive dealership in three states. I reluctantly called Ray again. We connected while he was traveling to one of his dealerships and he suggested, without hesitation, that I should buy the vehicle he had been driving for about a year! “I can’t afford the car you’re driving Ray”! He laughed and then shared his plan. The car had it all! Low miles, depreciated to a great price and it was a “platinum model”. God had answered my prayers and my fears seemed to vanished. I trusted in God with my fears and he was again so good and faithful.  

It is no coincidence the expression “do not be afraid” is one of the most frequent commands in the Bible. We are each invited to imagine who God is to each of us. What’s inside of us is the real issue. Do you fear God? Have you decided to put God first in your life? I believe that each of us is uniquely invited to constantly grow and change. We do that by respecting, trusting, and seeking God daily. Choose this fear of God and you will be in good hands. It’s always a blessing to have friends like Ray in your corner too! Do not be afraid, my friends.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

                                       Joshua 1:9

 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

                                     Deuteronomy 31:6

~HAMMER

Reference: Gumble, Nicky, Bible in One Year, 2022