Fear Not

“God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; [Though] the waters thereof roar [and] be troubled, [though] the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.” (Ps 46:1-3 AV)

This passage is a millennial passage.  It speaks of the remnant escaping to the wilderness under threat from the anti-Christ.  It speaks of them going off to be protected by the Messiah in the wilderness while the judgements of the tribulation period are raging about them.  They will feel the tremors of the earthquakes.  They will feel the extreme heat, the shortened days, the stars falling from the skies, etc.  The will experience most of what the rest of the world will experience.  Yet, without fear.

When this picture enters my mind, I imagine the Jewish people trekking out of Jerusalem and Israel in the same manner they did Egypt.  The scene from The Ten Commandments runs through my mind.  Millions of Hebrews, walking into the desert, yet singing their psalms.  Trumpets blow, priests offer praise, and fathers teach their children of the faithfulness of God.

Sure, there are several bouts of fear.  But the overall spirit is one of hope, anticipation, and praise. As God’s people, we should be fearless!  The truth of who and what God is does not change because our circumstances change.  Even if the world if falling apart around us, God is still God.  How quick we are to forget just how mighty a God we serve!  How quick we are to fear things we cannot see nor are certain just because we cannot see or touch the LORD.  Living by faith is a privilege.  But it is also a struggle.  If the children of Israel can overcome fear by trusting in the God they have for thousands of years, then the church can do no less!