Scared. Sacred. Do you notice both words use the same letters. It's all a matter of the "c." Where do you see the "c" in your life?
Scared.
Sacred. You're walking one or the other. Me? Sacred.
There
is plenty to fear.
God is to be feared above it all.
Reverent fear of the Lord makes us walk sacred.
Irreverent positioning of self makes us walk scared.
The
Psalmist wrote, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me
from all my fears." (Psalm 34:4 ESV) Maybe the question is whether we are
seeking the Lord or not.
Later
on in the same Psalm, we are even told, "Oh, fear the LORD, you his
saints, for those who fear him have no lack!" (Psalm 34:9 ESV) See it?
Fearing the Lord is the answer to provision, without and, especially, within!
The
next verse says, "The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who
seek the LORD lack no good thing." (Psalm 34:10 ESV) Wow! It's not about
the ignorant boldness of youth, but about the wisdom of seeking God. This is no
thumbing our noses at risk, acting like we are 10 feet tall and bullet proof with
no thought of tomorrow or forever. Seeking the Lord is wiser and more rewarding
than youthful fierceness.
Praise
God, this is a learned process! The Psalmist said, "Come, O children,
listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD." (Psalm 34:11 ESV) If
it can be taught, it can be learned.
A
great many individuals -- EVEN WHOLE CONGREGATIONS! -- are walking scared ...
so scared that they have forsaken the mission of the gospel ... so scared that
they have given up the struggles of gathering and growing and serving and
going.
I
am more afraid to face the Lord than the trials of the day.
I'm
no young lion, but I am a seeker. I am a learner. The issues we face are
complex, and neither pithiness nor denial can answer these issues, but neither
can running scared. Neither apathy, nor antipathy are the answers. Neither
scorning nor scoffing provide serious solutions. Running and hiding away are
not the answers either.
Wise
mitigation. Appropriate reticence. Humble obedience.
Sacred struggle. Childlike trust. Sacrificial service. Loving toil.
As
for me and my house, we will serve the Lord...