Genesis 31:17-55; Matthew 10:24-39; Psalms 13:5-6; Proverbs 6:6-11
OT: “For twenty years in your household I served you — fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks — and you have changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work, and he issued his verdict last night.”” (Genesis 31:41-42 CSB)
Twenty years prior, Jacob made a deal with God. He was unwilling to fully place his trust in the God of his fathers. He only trusted himself to have his best interests in mind. So he said, if You prove yourself to me, then and only then will I declare you as my God… until then, I am my own god. It was not until Jacob’s life was spared by God’s obvious intervention that Jacob finally realized that God was faithful to His word – even though God had been working on his behalf, blessing his efforts for the entire 20 years. Jacob could have saved himself 20 years of angst, worry, and fear if he had just trusted the ever-faithful God the way his father and grandfather had.
NT: “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent… So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword… The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.” (Matthew 10:28-29, 31-34, 37-39 CSB)
If you are placing your trust and faith completely in the Lord and following His word, will, and ways; you have no reason to fear. You are of great value to the Lord. More than you can probably comprehend. There is no reason to fear man, the world system, the forces of evil, or even Satan himself. The worst that they can do is end your earthly life… and what is that if you have the assurance of an eternal life awaiting you. What you should fear is not having that assurance of an eternal life and receiving eternal death instead. What is it that most often causes a person to deny God? Fear. Fear of the unseen… fear of the unknown… fear of rejection… fear of what could happen… fear of difficulty and trial. So out of a lack of faith and “self-preservation” we reject God and trust in ourselves. God’s kingdom is completely contrary to the kingdoms of this world, which happen to be under the sway of the kingdom of darkness. If you are living as a citizen and ambassador of the Kingdom of God, you are guaranteed to face resistance, rejection, hatred, etc. But, in the end, which kingdom actually preserves your life eternally? Don’t worry about or fear what may happen in this mortal life. Acknowledge Jesus… place your faith in Him… and be assured of blessing in this life and the life to come.
Psalms: “But I have trusted in your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in your deliverance. I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously.” (Psalms 13:5-6 CSB)
When we trust in the ever-faithful Lord who values us immensely, we will (guaranteed) rejoice in His generosity and deliverance. When we trust in Him, we need not and should not fear.
Jamie Hicks 