Psalm 112:6-8 “Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”
Imagine leading a life free from the grip of fear. Those who fear the Lord alone fit that definition. Fear of the Lord is a reverent and holy fear. It is a profound respect for the nature of God and His might. Wisdom begins with fear of the Lord, according to Proverbs. In fact, if we have a healthy fear of God, we can live without the fears that trouble most of our lives.
In this Psalm, the Bible says such people do not fear bad news. That’s a fear that haunts so many people today. Feeling like they live in a house of cards, they wonder when it will all come crashing down. How can we conquer our fears?
Fear is vanquished by faith. Being courageous means acting against one’s fears, not just being fearless. I can do that because of my faith. According to the Psalmist, people who have faith in the LORD to provide for them need not be afraid of receiving terrible news! They exude confidence and courage. What a pledge to keep! Isn’t that what you would want to do with your life? Well, you can! How? The psalmist tells us:
Psalm 118:6-7 “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.”
This is a faith-filled attitude, a trust in God’s unwavering love for me. In what do you place your trust? Pilots have faith in their aircraft. People who commute put their trust in buses, vehicles, and trains. Every day, we have to trust someone or something. Are you willing to trust God to lead you both here on earth and to your eternal destination if you are willing to trust an automobile or an aeroplane to get you there?
How much work do you put into being a pilot when you get in an aircraft? None at all! If you started flapping your arms, it would be hilarious. It’s likely that the flight attendants would help you exit the aircraft before it takes off! All you have to do is kick back, fasten your seatbelt, and unwind. You just let the aircraft take you where you’re going. The more you fly, the less you realise that you are putting your trust in that aircraft and the pilot to take you where you need to go.
Well, we can unwind in the all-sufficient arms of a Heavenly Father Who has us in the palm of His hands when we place our faith in Him! Everything is under His control! Even bad news doesn’t have to scare us. That doesn’t imply that bad things won’t happen. Faith isn’t a vaccine that makes us resistant to problems or even tragedy. Although few people escape this broken world without having endured hardship, we don’t have to live in constant fear. We can live in faith, knowing that our heavenly father will uphold our promises to Him.
Psalm 56:3-4 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Here, the Psalmist offers us a useful strategy for dealing with our anxieties. This was written by King David, a valiant soldier and strong man of God who achieved great victories with the troops of Israel. Even he experienced fear, but as his faith deepened, he overcame those anxieties. How did he do? He put his trust in God. Rather than running away from his fears, David prayed and comforted himself with God’s promises.
When bed news enters your life, you have two options: either you panic or you pray to God and put your faith in His assurances that He loves you and will never abandon you.
Have faith in God and live without fear!