Refuge In Fear

“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” (Pr 14:26 AV)

 

Anxiety and stress are often self-inflicted.  If God is who He says He is, there should be no reason for anxiety.  The ‘fear’ spoken of above is a fear that manifests itself as a deep respect for who and what God is to the point of yielding to Him.  There is a misunderstanding perpetrated by those who seem to desire to live in their liberty apart from the principles and standards of the word of God.  That is, that we ought not to fear God because perfect love casteth out fear.  This is true.  Yet, those who quote 1Jo 4:18 ignore what perfect love is.  Perfect love is not a mere intense emotion that expresses a desire to be close to God.  Perfect love is love made complete.  Complete by His mercy and grace towards us and perfect in our obedience to Him.  Having said this, the fear above is a healthy respect for something.  Like fear of a hot stove is a healthy respect that tells us to be careful and use protection before reaching for that hot pot.  This healthy respect for the LORD is acknowledging Him in His fullness.  This fear means to incorporate the reality of God’s holiness, righteousness, justice, etc as well as His physical attributes like omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience.  Fearing the LORD means more than desiring Him.  It means submitting to every aspect of God.  Although obedience is an application, we are impressed by the Spirit to consider faith in the whole of God working reverential respect as our strong confidence and refuge.

I have a very healthy respect for heights.  But it is not so deep that I am irrational.  For example, years ago when my family went to downtown Chicago, the kids and my wife wanted to go to the top of the Sears Tower.  I and my son had enough sense to know that was life-threatening so we stayed on the unmovable earth!  However, when my wife and I went to the Empire State building, I was prepared to ascend that tower.  Why?  Because of the shape of the buildings.  The Empire State building is larger on the bottom than on the top.  From my perspective, it was a much more stable looking building.  Knowledge was all the difference.  I didn’t like flying.  That is until I was allowed to actually fly a plane and feel the response of the plane to the controls and wind.  Knowing how aerodynamics worked and feeling it in my hand helped me to overcome the fear of flying.  The edge of Niagara Falls is a bit uneasy.  However, repelling down the gorge will erase all fears.  The same is true of the LORD.

We are filled with fear and anxiety because we fear other things or circumstances more than we fear God.  If we study more and more about the God we worship, then we can have confidence He is greater than anything we might face.  To fear other things or circumstances more than we do the LORD is to disrespect Him.  By saying we fear what might happen in the future is to say that God is not in control of the future.  By saying we fear what man can do to use means we do not fear what God can do for us.  Anytime we allow anxiety to overwhelm us, it is a reflection on what we truly think of the LORD.  What really impressed me this morning is the word ‘refuge’.  Several years back, I visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  This cave has well earned its name.  The cave which bears the name is truly massive.  You could almost fit a city block inside.  I often think of this cave when I read of Elijah.  He escaped to such a cave when the fire, wind, and storm came.  He had more respect for a cave than the elements outside.  This is how we need to approach the LORD.  He is our refuge.  He is our confidence.  If we are filled with anxiety it is not the fault of the circumstances.  It is the fault of our own lack of understanding of the God whom we say we worship.