6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
Recently I see fear everywhere. Fear of unknowns, Fear of heartbreak, fear of loss, fear of bad news. If I’m honest with myself, I’m scared too. Where will we live next? Will our jobs make us enough money? What if life doesn’t go as planned? What if I lose a family member? What if I lose my husband? I can get lost on a trail of unknowns and potential heartaches that are not tethered to the present reality. In these vulnerable and daunting moments, God asks us to look to Him not only for help, but also to inform us of our identity. “But God did not give us a spirit of fear but one of truth, love and self discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Psalm 112 informs us of our identity as Righteous, chosen Children of God. It reads, “The righteous will never be shaken… They will have no fear of bad news. Their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, trusting in the Lord.”
But what about when the fear still seems to be here? Uninvited, unwelcome, but seemingly unstoppable. It acts as a barrier thinking it can stop us from union with God.
I imagine God, in His holy splendor, overseeing all of creation, awesome in might…I imagine that God caring about our little bitty fragile lives. I imagine Him saying, “You do not have a spirit of fear. You do not have to fear bad news. You are mine.” And with that, I can exhale and entrust myself to ‘Him who judges justly’. With that, I can confidently refuse fear of man, of loss, of bad news. I can rest in what He has done because worry, anxiety and fear are not woven into my seams. Oh, how He loves us.
Brothers and sisters, be encouraged. We are the righteous. We were not given a spirit of fear! We will NOT be shaken! We will have no fear of bad news! Our hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
-- Keila Dawson