“His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
-Luke 1:50

The way to defeat fear of anything in your life is to fear one thing – to fear God.

As a pastor, I’ve received questions in this regard like, “Isn’t fear the opposite of love?” And I explain that the fear of God, which is mentioned throughout the Bible, is an ancient way of understanding that God is the one with the power. He’s the only one that you should be afraid of and yet God is good. So, because he loves us, we don’t have to be afraid of him. We don’t have to feel dread.

In a way, the fear of God removes fear. It’s an ancient way of understanding that, although it’s a big scary place out there, God is bigger. Although there are all of these things in our life – sickness, disease, death, challenges, deception, etc. – God is bigger. And I trust that God has the power over our enemies, and that our enemies should be afraid of him, too. Amen?

Prayer: Dear Lord, you have the power. You have my trust. May your mercy cover me in all my days. Amen.

Reflection: Describe the way you fear the Lord.