Thought for Today
Joshua 8:1 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear or be dismayed . . .
Psalm 127:2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
Mark 5:36 . . . Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe."
Philippians 4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In our culture, men are taught not to admit we are afraid. Somehow, admitting fear or even anxiety is viewed as an admission of weakness. Yet, our scriptures talk about fear hundreds of times. Often we can categorize fear, especially in the Bible, in at least 2 distinct and different groups. The first type of fear would be the frequent admonitions to ‘fear the LORD.’ When I think about the word fear, I think in terms of “an intensely unpleasant primal emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat.” (Wikipedia) Synonyms like terror, dread, horror and distress come to my mind.
When I encounter those words about fear of the LORD, none of those synonyms describe my feelings when I think about or pray to God. Neither is my emotional response to thoughts of God unpleasant in any sense, although my emotional response is primal. So, the scriptures about fearing God must reference a different kind of fear. When I read those scriptures about fearing God, I always think in my mind about being in awe of God. Whenever I think about any of the adjectives we use for God, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent or any other, I am in awe. Such concepts are far beyond my finite, temporal, human limited mind. In calculus, I could easily (?) integrate a function over the range of 0 to infinity; but, my mind cannot truly conceive infinity or eternity.
This all came to mind this morning as I read today’s passage in Daily Devotions with William Barclay. His words focus on the passage above from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. The entry is titled “The Peace of Believing Prayer.” Barclay references an adage I have heard before, “There is nothing too great for God’s power, and nothing too small for his fatherly care.”
When I read about and think about fearing God, the emotion I am referencing is more one of anti-fear. It is an emotion evolved from Bible verses like John 3:16-17 and like Jesus’ words to that synagogue leader, "Do not fear, only believe." And, it is an emotion that results in “The Peace of Believing Prayer.” Barclay wrote, “Children may take anything, great or small, to their parents, sure that whatever happens to them is of interest there, their small triumphs and disappointments, their passing cuts and bruises. In exactly the same way, we may take anything to God, sure of his interest and concern.”
As I approached that surgery last week, I was worried, anxious and fearful. This was the kind of fear described by those synonyms like terror, dread, horror and distress. While I was being prepared for the operation, I prayed. I talked to God. I also knew that others were praying for me, Greta, our children and others. I’m sure that the peace and calm I began to feel owed something to the ‘happy juice’ flowing through the needle taped to my hand. But, I’m sure that most of my peace and calm was “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” which did guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.
I have shared before that the first phrase I learned in koine Greek was ‘Do not fear.” μὴ φοβοῦ. When we read the English translation of that phrase, it is not obvious that it is uttered in the imperative mood. “The imperative mood is used to demand or require that an action be performed.” (Wikipedia) God and Jesus repeatedly instruct us, demand of us that through our prayer and belief we dismiss all of the terror, dread, horror and distress. "Do not fear, only believe."
“That peace of God, says Paul . . . passes all understanding. That does not mean that the peace of God is such a mystery that the human mind cannot understand it, although that is true. It means that the peace of God is so precious that the human mind, with all its skill and all its knowledge, can never produce it. It can never be of our contriving; it is only of God’s giving.” (Barclay)To which, I can only add, “Amen, Hallelujah, Amen.”
Stay safe, thank God for the peace of God, trust God,
Pastor Ray