Today’s Bible Reading:
Isaiah 8-10; Hebrews 8
Journal Entry on a passage from today’s reading:
Topic: Fear
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 8:12-14
12 "Do
not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear
what they fear, and do not dread it. 13
The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are
to fear, he is the one you are to dread, 14
and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone
that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. (Isa 8:12-14
NIV)
OBSERVATION:
People fear all kinds of things. Whether their fears are
founded or not, Isaiah says do not fear the things society fears. What people
think is a conspiracy against them may or may not be, but the Lord Almighty is
the only one we should really fear. All outcomes are ultimately in His hands. He
will protect individuals who trust in and follow His ways, but when a society
as a whole turns away from Him, He will cause them to falter or even to fall.
Whatever fears we have, justified or not, are insignificant compared to the
realization that what God says He will do, will be done. When the culture
opposes Him, that’s when a nation has reason to be afraid—very afraid.
APPLICATION:
In our country today fear seems to be growing. On writing
this journal entry, we are in a presidential election year. Some people are
absolutely terrified at the thought of Hillary Clinton being elected President.
On the other side, people are equally adamant in their fears of a Donald Trump
Presidency. People fear radical Islamic terrorism. People fear the government isn’t
doing enough to protect us and at the same time fear intrusion into their
privacy. Is there a conspiracy to take away our 2nd Amendment
rights? Is the top 1% conspiring to oppress everyone else? Are the police out
to kill black people? Do Christians hate gay people? Is illegal immigration
taking away jobs and hurting the economy? Is it that liberals just despise
unborn human life, or that conservatives just want to oppress women? On and on
it goes; more and more dividing lines, more and more conspiracy theories, more
and more dread and fear. But where is the fear of the Lord in all of this?
The Lord Almighty is the one you are the fear and dread. It
is He who will be a sanctuary in the midst of turmoil to those who acknowledge
and follow after His ways of right living, of love and charity and putting the
needs of others above our own. It is He who will be a stone that causes a
people to stumble when they do not acknowledge Him. It is He who will be a rock
crushing the nation that turns away from Him.
PRAYER:
Lord, nations are made up of
masses and masses of individual people. May more and more individuals turn to
You and find their peace and purpose in You. May the masses of individual
people turn the heart of a nation away from divisive fear and toward You.
By Your fearsome power and loving
grace in Christ Jesus. Amen. –AP
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