Fear

Posted on by korgrocker

“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.”
Psalm 3:5-6 NIVUK

What are we afraid of? David lived in a politically unstable world and there were always enemies of the Jews present in the surrounding nations, looking for an opportunity to destroy them. And he, as the king of Israel, felt the pressure of needing to be ready. But in spite of all of that, David was able to sleep, safe and sound, because “the Lord was watching over [him]”. But back to us pilgrims. In the UK we live in a more politically stable environment, without the overt threat of aggressive and hostile nations willing and able to invade our island and do us harm. However, warfare is different today, with cyber attacks and the threat of a nuclear strike. And as we look back through history, warfare has never been far away from our shores. We are also aware that living in 21st Century societies is fraught with all sorts of “enemies” that impact our ways of life, and we can quickly tumble into a world of “what if’s” ranging from health care through to job security and financial sufficiency. There is much fear and stress around today. Our immediate enemies might be different to David’s but they are still real and can have a marked effect on our future. 

In a sense, we have little to fear because God is with us. I am writing these thoughts this morning, and you might be reading what I have written in a day or two. Like David, we woke up this morning after a night’s sleep. Recently, I said to a man I met during my prayer walk that it was a good morning. The sun was shining and for once it wasn’t raining here in Scotland, but his response was, “All mornings are good if you wake up”. And that is true in a world fearful and lost, but we pilgrims cannot lose. If God sustains us for another day, we still have work to do for His kingdom here on earth. If He doesn’t then we will wake up in His presence. Win-win. 

The go-to Psalm for me is 121. “He will not let your foot slip – he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep“. The Psalmist continues, “The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore”. Do we believe that or do these words just give us a momentary warm feeling that quickly dissipates in the chill winds of adversity that swamp our souls, as another night time worry raises its head and disturbs our rest? Fellow pilgrims, our Lord and God is constantly with us and we believe that whatever He says is what He does. I cannot count the many occasions when He has been there for me in times of anxiety and stress, and I’m sure that is the same for you as well. Trusting in God will not necessarily remove the enemies around us (although sometimes He will), whatever they are, but it will mean we can sleep at night in the knowledge that He is looking out for us, and will give us the strength and wisdom we need.

Dear Father God. Thank You that You are with us, every minute of every day. Amen.

Frightened Pilate

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?””
John 19:7-10 NLT

In those days superstition abounded. Every time something bad happened to someone they looked at things they had done in case one of their many deities had become involved. Perhaps, they thought, they had even offended one of their gods and were suffering the consequences. Adding to his woes, Pilate heard from his wife. “Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night”” (Matthew 27:19). Pilate was between a rock and a hard place. He knew that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, let alone one that would lead to death by crucifixion. Four times he said Jesus was innocent. Herod said He was innocent. And now Pilate’s wife had said the same. When Pilate heard the Jewish leaders say that Jesus “called himself the Son of God”, he was more frightened than ever, because to offend another God by putting His Son to death was just inviting a disaster to fall upon him. 

Even today, superstition abounds. I am writing this a few days after Halloween, a time when evil is celebrated. People dress up as ghosts, witches and in other scary ways, all in the name of “fun”. But there is nothing funny, nothing to celebrate, about the dark forces that have such a huge influence on the world around us. And then there are horoscopes. Someone has estimated that 23% of Americans regularly read their horoscopes, that they find in various media outlets. And then there is astrology and sorcery and so on. Yet, if a person is asked whether or not they are superstitious, they will probably deny it. “Just a bit of fun” they will say. 

Do we pilgrims become frightened of anything? There are natural dangers of course, and a human being is wired to take into account things that will cause them to avoid, or run away from, danger. But there are frightening circumstances that we cannot avoid, things that cause us stress or fear, and God has an answer to that. I love the first two verses of Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea”. In addition to such natural events, there are also consequences for our bad choices that can cause us to be frightened. The list of potential misdemeanours that mankind should be guilty of is lengthy but facing judgement either in this life or the next will surely happen. Thankfully God will be with us wherever we are and in whatever circumstances. Psalm 56:3, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you“. 

Regardless of what is happening, though, are we frightened today? As we reach out to our Heavenly Father we will find peace for our souls. In the context of eternity, we really have nothing to be afraid of, as we stay close to Jesus and His cross. 

Dear Father God. You sent Your Son to lead us out of the frightening world in which we live into one that has no danger in Your presence. Wow worship You today. Amen.

Connections

Posted on by korgrocker

“May the nations praise you, O God. 
Yes, may all the nations praise you. 
Then the earth will yield its harvests, 
and God, our God, will richly bless us. 
Yes, God will bless us, 
and people all over the world will fear him.”
Psalms‬ ‭67:5-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We continue in Psalm 67. Just a short Psalm but it’s positivity uplifts and encourages our lives. And at the end of this Psalm, the Psalmist makes the connection between the national praise of God and universal provision for mankind. But how can that be? How can that connection work in our so called sophisticated societies, consumed by our love of gadgets and secular philosophies? The answer is that it won’t, and doesn’t. There is a special relationship available to all, between us and our loving Creator God. That personal connection started at Calvary’s cross and will never end because we will live with God Himself forever. 

But back to praise and provision. When we start praising God we are transformed into a new dimension where He Himself overtakes the world in relevance and importance. Where the Divine supersedes the mundane. Where we are elevated into Heavenly places far from the drudgery most experience. The Psalmist paints a picture of a perfect world where every person in every nation knows God intimately and all praise Him together. What an amazing place that would be. And to be an inhabitant of such a world would be too wonderful to get our minds around. But that’s never going to happen, I hear the sceptical and cynical unbeliever say. Well, I’ve got some good news and bad news. One day such a world will exist, because God said so. Read Revelation 21. And we who are God’s people will populate that new Heaven and new Earth. The bad news is for those people who have chosen not to be inhabitants of the new world to come. But don’t worry. Another place has been reserved for them.

The last line of this Psalm brings in the word “fear”. Do I fear God? As a child of God, I don’t “fear” Him with feelings of terror and panic, imagining being in perilous and life-threatening situations. The “fear” I have of God is a sense of respect and awe. I am not afraid that He is about to zap me because I’ve done something wrong. We have a wonderful Heavenly Father. A God who loves us, cares for us, forgives us, is gracious to us. Is patient with us. The wonderful qualities of God fill His Book, the Bible. When we read it we are changed. Transformed. And all we can do in response is praise Him.

The Refuge

Posted on by korgrocker

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalms‬ ‭46:1-3‬ ‭NIVUK‬‬

These three verses have been a tremendous comfort and support for many people over the years. They are often quoted in times of stress. They are the go-to verses read and uttered by God’s people when facing into some calamity or other. Look at the words the Psalmist uses; “Refuge”, “Strength”, “Help”, “Fear” and the very descriptive picture of an apocalyptic scene as our planet’s infrastructure collapses. Look at the contrast between the security of being in God, and the potentially disastrous state of being away from Him.

The contrast is between two kingdoms – the spiritual and the physical. Two worlds that we can access but so often we ignore the one and only dwell in the other. Of course this is perfectly understandable because we are physical beings with our feet firmly located on the home where we were born – Planet Earth. And we therefore try and look at everything around us through physical eyes and discount the spiritual world because we can’t see it. But it is there nevertheless, as many people over the ages will testify. How else do God’s people sustain themselves when tortured, imprisoned, and ill treated, all because of their faith in a God who one day will welcome them into His Kingdom, His world?

The wonderful and amazing thing is that we have an opportunity to be present in both worlds. Now. At this very moment. We can draw on the resources of God’s spiritual Kingdom to help and support us in our earthly world. God is inviting us to be part of His Kingdom, not just when we are facing into a calamitous situation, but all the time. And the access door is open this very moment – through God’s Son Jesus. Message me if you want to know more.

Although we start our life in the natural environment around us we will transition one day into a totally different spiritual environment, which itself consists of two worlds – God’s world, and another place where He is not present. Far better to enjoy the benefits of being a part of both God’s spiritual world and the physical world where we live while we have the choice. Because one day that choice will be removed from us.

The picture of an impregnable place in God that not only protects us from all dangers, but also resources us and strengthens us to face into impossible situations seems too good to be true. But it’s too good not to be true. Join me there today.

Mud and Clay

Posted on by korgrocker

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalms‬ ‭40:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Imagine the scene. You have wandered over some fields and come to a bank, down which you accidentally slip. You find yourself stuck in a bog, mud up to your knees and you are starting to sink further. Your cries for help are unheeded because of the remoteness of the place and very quickly the enormity of your predicament floods over you leaving an acute feeling of fear and despair. So you cry out to God for help, waiting with patience for Him to answer, full of assurance that He will do just that. And then, out of nowhere, a rope falls in front of you. You grab it and find a stranger at the other end who manages to pull you out, back up the bank, to a place of firm ground. God hears your cries and prayers for help and sends someone to rescue you.

Imagine the scene. After several days of heavy rain, the local river has burst its banks and your house is being flooded. The ground floor is now under water but you have managed to get onto the roof. You look anxiously around at the water-filled devastation, watching trees, rubbish, even cars, float past. Despair and fear increase. There is no-one to help. But God hears your prayers and sends a rescue helicopter, that quickly lifts you to a place of safety where you can wait for the flood waters to recede.

Imagine the scene. You realise that you are heading for a lost eternity because of your many sins. You are filled with fear and despair. Your situation appears to be hopeless because you realise you can’t save yourself. You cry out to God for help. But God has a plan. He loves you so much that He sends His Son, Jesus, to rescue you. But it’s a costly exercise – to rescue you Jesus has to become a sacrifice for your sins. There is no other way. And through His death on a cross, Jesus takes upon Himself all your sins, leaving you without guilt and shame, in right standing before God and able to say with confidence that your future with God in Heaven is secure. You have found a place of security. Solid ground on which to stand. Paul wrote in his Roman epistle, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” (‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Three scenarios. Two of physical danger, one of spiritual danger. But all three a potential “pit of despair”. But after rescue what do you feel? Elation? Relief? Most probably an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to God for His rescue. A song you have never sung before comes from deep within you, as you sing grateful praises to God. A song that tells of God’s amazing works. A song that brings others into a trusting relationship with God too.

Far-fetched scenarios that don’t apply in real life today? God may, or may not, rescue us from all occasions of physical danger. It wouldn’t be danger if He always did. But we can have an assurance that God will always rescue a repentant sinner from spending eternity in that place Jesus called hell. How do I know? The Son of God, Jesus, told me. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” ‭‭John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Set Free from Fear

Posted on by korgrocker

“I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” Psalms‬ ‭34:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What makes us afraid? With some it is the dark. With others it is spiders, or snakes or some other small animal. In today’s Covid-ridden world it is the fear of contracting the virus. In North Korea Christians are afraid that the authorities will find out about their faith. Some people are afraid of what others think about them, or what they are saying about them on social media. The list is endless. And any fear can be paralysing. Debilitating. Life changing. Some fears are irrational, the result of childhood conditioning. But others are very real and can lock people into a prison with no release in sight.

The verse we are reading in Psalm 34 gives a chink of light to those gripped in the clutches of fear. It says that through our relationship with God we can bring our fears into His presence through prayer, and, in expectant faith, we can receive His answer. A gentle touch. Reassurance. Encouragement. And before us He will open fear’s prison doors and release us. And the mental prison we have built in our minds will evaporate like the morning dew before the warmth of His love. But this can be a continuing process because fearful humans have a tendency to rebuild their prisons during unguarded moments, entering once again the familiarity of their prison cells. The Bible has many verses about fear and God gives us much encouragement through His Word. Let’s read together another great verse about fear this time from the Amplified Bible version. “Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.” Psalms‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭AMP‬‬

So today, I reach out to God for His help with my fears, and I encourage You to do the same. And our loving Heavenly Father will answer our prayers. And set us free.