Devotions from Chris Tomlin - Burning LightsНамуна

“Whom Shall I Fear”

I know Who goes before me. I know Who stands behind.
The God of Angel Armies is always by my side

In Exodus, Moses told the Israelites, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.” (Ex.14:13)

In Psalms, David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).

In Luke, the angel says to Mary, “‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’” (Luke 1:30).

In Hebrews, Paul says, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:6).

Notice a theme? Throughout scripture, we are told to not be afraid and to replace fear with the assurance of God as our helper. Moses, David, angels, Paul—those who we see as walking closely with the Lord in scripture often pleaded that we not fear. What did they understand about God that allowed them this strength? Three things: 1.) Our strength is founded in Him. 2.) We are saved by Him. 3.) Victory is His.

My strength is in Your name for You alone can save. Yours is the victory.

When we know that our strength is in God, we no longer rely on ourselves. We don’t rely on ourselves for anything--not the work presentation we’ve been losing sleep over, not the big move we’re about to make, not even the illness we’ve been diagnosed with. We apart from God do not have the strength to overcome obstacles. But if we believe God’s strength is endless, we do not fear our own weakness.

When we know that we are saved, we don’t have to strive to be good enough. We often fear we are making too many mistakes and our sin is too big. But if we believe we are saved and that our salvation is always there, we do not fear our own inadequacy.

When we know victory is His, we do not have to fear evil. In those times when we fear being at the mercy of evil in the form of an abuser or a terrible circumstance or a corrupt leader, we can take comfort in the fact God has already won and this temporary evil is just that: temporary.

God knows our tendency to fear. That is why his Word is full of reasons not to.