Upcoming exams, parental involvement, financial burdens, ministry obligations, romantic relationships, health scares, struggling friendships, team practices, Starbucks’ closing, wrinkles, no chocolate; there are so many things for a college girl to fear. These fears can be as small as a passing scary thought or a crippling lingering mindset that causes us to greet each day in a gloom of anxiety and depression. All fear drains us of our joy, peace and trust in God’s promises leaving us struggling to be bold in our faith, faithful in our actions and restful in our walk. How can we live in a world of constant worries and walk fearless?
In a wonderful story found in 2 Chronicles 20, we find King Jehoshaphat of Judah in a situation where fear had an opportunity to thrive. At that time, the kingdom of Judah was a little fish in a big pond and was constantly living with the possibility of an attack by the Moabites and the Ammonites, the big fish. That day came in verse 1 and 2 of chapter 20. The Scriptures say that a “great multitude” was coming to battle with Jehoshaphat and his nation. The threat was a real concern for his people and the fear was just as impactful for Jehoshaphat. However, the next phrase in verse 3, after it says Jehoshaphat did fear, states he “set himself to seek the Lord”. When fear creeps in our lives, we have this example to follow. The story continues to say he gathered all of Judah and began to humbly pray. The people recognized that they were powerless in the battle before them and cried out to the Lord to lead them and revive them. Jehoshaphat’s prayer on behalf of Judah, recorded in verses 6-12, details a recipe for fear correction that we can use today in our Christian walks.
Often when we think of fear, we picture the terrified, crippling version of this emotion, but fear can also mean ”reverential awe” according to dictionary.com. This is the fear that Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 1:7 when he says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”. Fear in itself is not unhealthy when the object of our fear is God. This healthy fear is characterized by reverence, wonder and submission towards God, the only One holy enough, powerful enough and worthy enough to receive those things. This vertical fear of God is different then the fear that robs our joy, peace and trust in His promises. This destructive fear is a horizontal fear of this broken world and the power it and the evil one has over our lives. As Christian woman whose defender is the Lord, we need not to foster the growth of this horizontal fear. By grace, we can stand in wonder and awe of our powerful King rather than stand in the amazement and terror of the world’s power. It is a weak battalion compared to the stronghold of our God. The first ingredient to correct our fears is to increase our horizontal awe by increasing our vertical awe of God. Just like Jehoshaphat, study the stories of God’s power and faithfulness to the Jews in the Old Testament and His constant abiding presence with the early church in the New Testament. Search Scripture for God’s promises. Weave His promises into your everyday thoughts by putting verses of promise around your room.
The second ingredient in Jehoshaphat’s prayer is confidence in knowing the Lord is for us, not against us. As daughters of the one true King, we have the assurance that “...for those who love God all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). David uses imagery repeatedly in the Psalms to help us envision our God as our Protector, Fortress, Shepherd, Strength, and Deliver. If we have Christ in our hearts, then we can boldly hold to Paul’s benediction in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” These needs include freedom from a destructive, horizontal fear. Our Lord is worthy of our confidence in Him.
We don’t know what tomorrow, next semester or even our graduation will bring, but we can walk fearlessly as the King’s daughters through those moments when we correct our unhealthy fears. In Judah and King Jehoshaphat’s story, the Lord prevailed and fought their battle for them bringing them abundant spoil of great riches and precious jewels and safety for the kingdom. However, the greatest aspect of the victory that day was the treasure of knowing the Lord was their protection and One in whom the people of Judah could place their trust. God alone is worthy of our trust; let us learn from Jehoshaphat’s example and abound foremost in our horizontal awe.
The last statement of Jehoshaphat’s prayer can be our plea when unhealthy fear grips our lives. Let’s set ourselves to seek the Lord and thus, please join me in praying, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (v. 12)
Hello ladies! My name is Megan and I am student at the wee little school of Virginia Wesleyan in Norfolk. Cru has been an integral part of my walk with God since my freshman year and I am delighted to share with you I will be joining the Tidewater staff ladies in the new year following my graduation. It is an honor to be able to serve with this sweet ministry to our mighty King and be able to encourage each of you in your own walks through things like this blog post. Some of favorite things are dates with Jesus, acoustic praise and worship songs, traveling, chilly morning walks, handwritten letters, discipleship, pumpkin dump cake, sunny Sundays, the laughter of children and fellowshipping with my dear sisters in Christ. Thank you for being such faithful readers and making it to the end!
Often when we think of fear, we picture the terrified, crippling version of this emotion, but fear can also mean ”reverential awe” according to dictionary.com. This is the fear that Solomon was referring to in Proverbs 1:7 when he says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…”. Fear in itself is not unhealthy when the object of our fear is God. This healthy fear is characterized by reverence, wonder and submission towards God, the only One holy enough, powerful enough and worthy enough to receive those things. This vertical fear of God is different then the fear that robs our joy, peace and trust in His promises. This destructive fear is a horizontal fear of this broken world and the power it and the evil one has over our lives. As Christian woman whose defender is the Lord, we need not to foster the growth of this horizontal fear. By grace, we can stand in wonder and awe of our powerful King rather than stand in the amazement and terror of the world’s power. It is a weak battalion compared to the stronghold of our God. The first ingredient to correct our fears is to increase our horizontal awe by increasing our vertical awe of God. Just like Jehoshaphat, study the stories of God’s power and faithfulness to the Jews in the Old Testament and His constant abiding presence with the early church in the New Testament. Search Scripture for God’s promises. Weave His promises into your everyday thoughts by putting verses of promise around your room. 