Fear and Anxiety - Pt. 5

 

For the LORD spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.” (Isaiah 8:11-15 ESV).

 

The world around us fears all sorts of things. I was reading a few articles about what people fear the most. Things like heights, snakes, and the dentist top a lot of people’s lists. But so do things like economic disaster, wars, terrorism, and natural disasters. These are things that the world fears.

 

But the Lord tells Isaiah not to fear what people fear when they don’t live in tune with God. While the rest of the world might be afraid of upheaval and destruction, Isaiah isn’t supposed to fear such things. He isn’t supposed to be afraid of conspiracies or of being physically hurt. He isn’t supposed to be afraid of being too bold or saying the wrong thing. He isn’t supposed to be afraid of what the future might hold. He isn’t even supposed to be afraid of not having a next meal or warm clothes or a place to sleep. While the world might fear and worry over those things, Isaiah isn’t supposed to.

 

Isaiah is supposed to fear only God. Everything else is in God’s control. He will take care of all things. All that Isaiah must do is obey God and fear him—that is, honor, worship, and be in awe of him.

 

We are called to do the same. There are many things to fear in this world. But God doesn’t want us to fear any of them. He wants us to fear only him. So, in the fear of the Lord, worship and honor him today in everything you do.