And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28 KJV
My heart has been deeply troubled by the invasion of the Ukraine. Hearing the pleas of a Ukrainian mother for help for her young children and for her country and seeing her strength and courage amid what they are facing brought tears to my eyes. It is painful to watch and tempting to be overcome with fear of what will happen next.
Our prayerful concern for this young mother and for all those in eastern Europe and the world affected by the war, which is raging between the Ukraine and Russia, of course, is right. Fear of man, however, is a different thing altogether. Proverbs 29:25 ESV tells us, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”
An example of this is found in Numbers 13 when God tells Moses to send one leader from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to explore the promised land of Canaan. He gave them very specific instructions and asked that they bring back some of the fruit of the land. When they returned bearing fruit from the land, they reported it was flowing with milk and honey as promised.
It is at this point that the perspectives of the scouting party seemed to diverge.
Ten of the leaders mentioned how powerful the occupants of the land were and seemed to see no way they could enter the promised land. On the other hand, Caleb and Joshua stood by the fact that they certainly could take over the land God had promised to them.
When one goes on to read the rest of the story, we find the Israelites sided with the ten and that delayed the Israelites entry to the promised land to the next generation. Of the ten only Caleb and Joshua who had not given in to the fear of the current occupants of the land of Canaan; had not given in to the fear of man but had stood on the promises of God were able to enter the promised land at the end of their journey.
When we face wars and the threat of war, diseases, dissension and division, or anything else of man or of this world we must not be consumed by fear but rather we must look to God. We must not be afraid of man but rather fear only the Lord our God.
When we trust in God, no matter how dark it may seem for the moment we must trust that God will bring the light of Christ into our lives and carry us through the darkness to safety. Remember, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” Hallelujah!
Shalom,
Pastor Peggy