Fear and Hope

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"Fear and Hope" By Diane Webb

Psalms 33: 18—"Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy."

The Lord does watch over you. He works in your life even when you do not know it. When you have the proper respect for God as your creator you will fear him out of this respect. Fear, when of God, is a good thing and only leads to God's protection over you and his mercy when you repent of your mistakes. He is your father who loves you enough to correct you, to mold you, and to teach you what you need to know. He is merciful and forgiveness is always given when sincerely asked. God is not to be feared in a human sense but in a Holy way. You are meant to have a good relationship with God but not a casual or disrespectful one. God is not your "buddy" or your personal assistant. God is not at your disposal to pull out as needed for your ego or for show. It is important to always remember God's place in the universe—supreme creator and omnipotent ruler. He is God. As such, God commands respect. The first four of the Ten Commandments all relate to our reverence and respect of God (Exodus 20). This, obviously, is important and a requisite to having a right relationship with God. In Psalms 33: 18, you see having God's eye upon you (to watch over you and protect you) follows fearing him. If you want God's protection you have to have the right fear of him. Fear leads to making choices which keeps you within God's will. Can we logically expect to have God's protection and disrespect him at the same time? Do we really think we can use his name in vain, disregard the commandments, dabble in sin and still be under his protection? It does not work like that. To fear God is to respect, honor, and obey him. Then and only then can we reap the benefits of his protection and mercy. Mercy is granted to those who fear God. Living a life of pleasure, vanity, arrogance, or dishonesty does not demonstrate fear of the Lord. Mercy flows from a right fear of the Lord. Those who do not fear the Lord cannot expect mercy. We cannot have it both ways—we cannot live a life of the world and then expect the mercy of God. Our fear belongs to the Lord. No other fear is beneficial to us or part of his plan. Fear of the future contradicts today's scripture. Hope is how we look towards the future when we fear God. If you have a fear of the future, look at your attitude toward God. If your fear in not leading to hope you may want to examine it further. Fear of the Lord is why God spared Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 22: 12). Abraham's fear of God led to God's mercy in sparing Isaac. The wrong kind of fear—such as the fear dictator's inspire—leads to cruelty and a chronic anxiety. Those under the thumb of authoritarian control are fearful of the future and lose hope over time. If, for example, Hitler (or another dictator-type person) was the one calling the shots for Abraham, then he would have had Isaac die to prove his power over life and death and to strengthen control over Abraham. God, on the other hand, uses mercy to demonstrate his power. God is not mean or cruel. Everything he does is to help us in some way or another. God has no need to scare people into obedience. We obey God because we fear him but this fear is an understanding of his power and authority in the universe. The hope comes from our knowledge of his mercy. The right fear of God includes trust.

Father, please help me understand today's scripture so I will have the right fear of you. Erase any wrong ideas I have. Give me discernment to know your truth, your will, and your mercy. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.