Where’s Your Fear?

Many of the top prophetic people are speaking to the Body of Messiah with words of coming storms and coming catastrophes.  A lot of the people I talk to are telling me about the fear they have of what is to come.  They ask me, “How do I get ready?  What do I do?  Help me.”  Here are three scenarios where the people of God had to deal with the same things we are facing.  Let’s see how they handled it and how God helped them get through the hard times.

And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.”  And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

And He said to them, “Why are you so timid?  How is it that you have no faith?”

And they became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Mark 4:37-41 NAS

          Jesus’ followers were afraid.  Circumstances, the storm, had come, and the disciples were petrified.  Desperation in them woke up the sleeping Messiah.  Accusation spoke, “Don’t you care that we are about to die here?” 

          Messiah spoke, “Quiet!  Be still!”  Maybe He was commanding more than just the winds and the waves to be still.  The winds subsided, and there was dead calm.  Then the Voice that created the world spoke, “Why are you afraid?  Have you no trust even now?”  They still had fear, but now their fear moved to being terrified of the One Who could speak and wind and waves obey. 

          No longer afraid of the circumstance, they became terrified as their eyes beheld the Son of God.  Their fear of circumstances changed to the fear of the Lord of the circumstances.  This is how it must also be with today’s followers of Messiah.  We may initially be afraid when we see the circumstance facing us.  That is the time to run to Him just as the disciples of old did.  Run to Him, knowing Who He is, the Creator and Lord of all things.  Behold Him, gaze at Him, and your fear changes.  When we behold the King in all His Beauty, we are no longer in fear of the circumstances; instead fear of the circumstances has changed to the fear of the Lord. 

Quietness and calm take over as we begin to realize that He is the One Who is in control.  Then Isaiah 33:6 becomes reality to us. 

He shall be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his treasure.

If the disciples had not run to Him in their fear, they never would have seen the salvation of their Lord.  Many times circumstances have us between the deep blue sea and
          Pharaoh’s army charging after us.  It’s at that time that we run to our God and watch as the salvation of our God creates a way where there is no way. 

And as Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons
         of Israel cried out to the Lord.      Ex. 14:10 NAS

Just as with the disciples Accusation speaks.

They said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?  Why have you dealt with us in this
         way, bringing us out of Egypt?

Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?  For it would have been better for us to serve
         the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.’” Ex. 14:11-12 NAS

The voice sent from the Lord speaks.

But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear!  Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom
          you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent…

And when Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in
         His servant Moses.                                          Ex. 14:13,14; 31 NAS

          We see this played out again centuries later when, once again, the people of God were faced with the Adversary.  King Jehoshaphat was told that a huge army was coming
          against him and the people of God. 

          And Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the LORD; and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.         II Chronicles 20:3 NAS

Jehoshaphat determined to seek the LORD telling Him that if calamity strikes, such as war, judgment, disease, or famine, he and the people called by His Name will stand before His House, the House where His Name is, and will cry out to Him until He hears and rescues them.  He reminds the LORD that they were instructed by Him to not invade Moab and Ammon on the way to the Promised Land.  The people of God were obedient, and now Moab and Ammon have come to take away the inheritance given to the Israelites by their Father and to throw them out of His possession repaying them evil for good.  Jehoshaphat cries out that they do not have strength enough to defeat this tremendous horde that is set to come against them. “We don’t know what to do, Father, but our eyes are on You.”      

          O our God, wilt Thou not judge them?  For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our

          eyes are on Thee.”              II Chronicles 20:12 NAS

Once again the Voice of the One Who created all things speaks.

          “…thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.

          Tomorrow go down against them…  You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah
          and Jerusalem.  Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.  And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to
          the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD…    And the Levites…stood up to praise the
          LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice…  Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God, and you will be
          established.  Put your trust in His prophets and succeed…     he appointed those who sang to the LORD…And when they began singing and praising, the
          LORD set ambushes…”  
          II Chronicles 20:15b, 16a, 17-22 NAS

          And every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem (double peace) with joy, for the LORD had made
         them to rejoice over their enemies…  And the dread of God (the fear of the Lord) was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had 
         fought against the enemies of Israel.”

         II Chronicles 20:27,29  NAS

          I don’t know what the future of this nation is going to be.  I know what the Scriptures tell us there will be.  Like Jehoshaphat we have to determine to seek the LORD, ADONAI.  Like Jehoshaphat we have to say that if calamity strikes, such as war, judgment, disease, or famine, we will stand before the LORD and cry out to Him.  When terror strikes we have to MAKE A CHOICE to change from fear of the circumstance to running to the LORD of the circumstance, like the disciples of old, and behold Him in all His radiance until the fear is gone and, instead, the fear of the LORD is present.  There we will hear Him whisper to us, “Hush, be still.”  Then we can watch in wonderment as we behold the salvation of the LORD as He fights on our behalf. 

          “And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.”    Isaiah 33:6 NAS

I don’t know about you, but that is a treasure I must seek – the fear of the LORD!!!!!!!