“I say to you, my friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more.” Luke 12:4 CSB
Jesus is speaking to a crowd of thousands when we find the passage above. He’s already warned them to beware of religious hypocrites (Luke 12:1-3 CSB). Now He is telling them, and us, not to fear people. People can only harm you to a certain extent. Jesus is telling us who we should really fear. “Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the one to fear” (Luke 12:5 CSB). The verses that follow exemplify how much God loves us. “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7 CSB).
As we have progressed through this month of fear, God keeps leading us back to the same place, Him. There is only one fear we are to have, and that is fear of Him. We have to have ultimate respect for the One who is truly in control of all, God. But yet we don’t. Yesterday I was texting with friends, getting ready for the retreat. I’m planning on using a trust exercise during my talk. One of my friends responded back, “I have trust issues.” Without thinking I replied back, “We all do because we humanize God.” I had never thought of this before, but after I sent it, I pondered on it’s truth. I thought of how I humanize God. Because I think of Him as male, and because I have trust issues with men, I sometimes have problems trusting God completely. Even as far as I have come, I still have so far to go. What human characteristics do you put on God? What trust issues are you projecting on God that He doesn’t deserve? It’s worth time thinking about these things to help you move past them and trust God completely.
Trusting God completely will allow you to have the reverential awe for Him that He deserves. Trust will help you put Him first over people, because He will never let you down. He will never break your trust. He will always fight for you, not against you. Whatever your fears are, He is the key to overcoming them. Having a healthy fear of God, according to Jesus, is the only fear we should have. But first we have to put God first in all things, over all people, trusting His way, even though it’s different from ours. Trusting His ways, not ours, is the way to overcome all other fears.
