~
The Forces of His Creation Fear God ~
God
does not want His children living in fear.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus
our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”
(2 Peter 1:2-3). However,
God does want His children to have a proper respect and reverence for Him. We are told in many places in Scripture to “fear
God.”
Comment ~ This week’s passage
(immediately below) is a reference to the OT Red Sea experience (Exodus 14). Note also that in the New Testament we read, “Even
the winds and the waves obey Him” (Luke 8:22).
This is consistent with what we read in the letter to the
Colossians. “All things were created
through Him [Jesus Christ] and for Him.
And He is before all things, and in
Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17). He controls all things—including the created
natural elements which He created.
This Week’s Passage ~ “The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid;
the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows
also flashed about. The voice of Your
thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world;
the earth
trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not
known. You led Your people like a flock
by the hand
of Moses and Aaron” (Psalm 77:16-20).
Comment ~ Consider
the following passages: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a
strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters
were divided. So the children of Israel
went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to
them on their right hand and on their left.
And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea,
all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the
Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the
Egyptians. And He took off their chariot
wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, ‘Let
us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord
fights for them against the Egyptians.’ Then the Lord said to
Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon
the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.’ And Moses stretched
out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to
its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord
overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the
chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea
after them. Not so much as one of them
remained. But the children of Israel had
walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them
on their right hand and on their left. So the Lord saved
Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians
dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw
the great work which the Lord had
done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord,
and believed the Lord and His
servant Moses” (Exodus 14:21-31).
“Now it happened, on a
certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to
the other side of the lake.’ And they
launched out. But as they sailed He fell
asleep. And a windstorm came down on the
lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying,
‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’
Then
He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who
can this be? For He commands even the
winds and water, and they obey Him!’” (Luke 8:22-25).
Fearing God Results in Salvation
~ “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews
10:31). “A wise
person fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident”
(Proverbs 14:16).
This does not mean the Christian is to live a fearful life—but a life
which reverences God and seeks to do His will.
Fearing God Results in
Fearlessness ~ “The Lord
is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord
is the strength of my life; of whom shall
I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). The answer is: only God. With the gift of salvation comes
responsibility.
Fearing God Results in Witnessing ~ “Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will
declare what He has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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