Tremble, earth, at
the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the
rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water. Psalm 114:7-8
We have heard how
the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you
came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of
the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When
we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage
failed because of you, for the Lord your
God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Joshua 2:10-11
This second scripture
records words from the mouth of Rahab speaking to the two Israelite spies. She reveals
a pervasive fear that those from Jericho possessed. There is good reason to
believe that many in the ancient world believed this way. They were afraid of
the power and might of Jehovah. They had
heard stories that he split the red sea and gave great military victories to
his people.
There are also promises in
the Bible that say the ungodly will fear those who live for the Lord.
Deuteronomy 28:10 says, “Then all the peoples on earth will see that you
are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.”
Deep in the hearts of the unsaved, dwells a fear
of the living God and his children. This timidity is at the heart of
persecution. They may not acknowledge it or realize it, but their hatred for us
is fueled by fear.
But our response is to love them into the kingdom
through our prayers, kind actions, and faithful testimony of the gospel.
Dear Awesome God,
Thank you for your great and glorious acts. You
are a miracle-working God. I believe that those who do not know you fear you
and your followers, even if they do not realize it. Help me to spend my life to
see them come to you. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.
