Whom Shall I Fear?

Fear is more than an emotion but a spiritual force. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear [emphasis mine]; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (KJV).

With such a rich promise of a sound mind, we are not live in a constant state of fear though we encounter any number of fears in a given day.

We may fear losing our jobs, a sleepless night from a reoccurring nightmare, a failed marriage leading to divorce or some other painful events and experiences that give way to fear.

Psalms 27:1-3 asks an excellent question.... whom shall I fear? And it's a good question to ask ourselves when fear rises up and wants to take over our hearts.

You see fear has a tendency to exaggerate and make something appear more than what it really is - we lose our focus and our thinking narrows to fight or flight - when sometimes God may say, "Wait, hold on."

I recall my martial arts instructor tell us that we must learn to relax in the face of fear. Too many over react when an opponent moves in to attack. They make the situation worse because they are not thinking clearly. I understand when we are afraid the blood drains from our heads and is quickly directed to the arms and legs to react.

Perhaps that is why David reminds himself that "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?" (verse 1, KJV). Fear must downsize at the greatness of our God! And to the measure of hope we possess is the strength to overcome any fear. David's heart was set on the house of God not on who was attacking or threaten to attack him (verses 3-4). With eyes fixed firmly on Christ, David was not going to give way to fear.

Whom shall I fear?

Only one should we fear and that is God.

Beloved, stand in reverent awe of His presence and all other fears must bow to His name. They can't whisper to you at night threatening to kill you or during the day that you are going under. No, beloved, when we keep our eyes on Him we find great grace and peace that will swallow up our fears. God calms the storms of our minds with just a single word. Peace. Peace be still.