What prevents a lot of us from doing what we know we must do is fear. Whether it is the fear of rejection, the fear of mockery, the fear of missing out, or any other fears you can think of, it is fear nonetheless. A command like: “Be reconciled to thy brother” brings with it the fear of humility, fear of rejection, and the fear of vulnerability. These fears trap us in our steps and prevent us from going on to obey the life-giving words of Christ. The same thing happened to King Zedekiah when God, through Jeremiah, asked him to go along with the Babylonian princes and leave the city of Jerusalem:
“And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.”
Jeremiah 38:19
Our Imaginary Fear
Zedekiah’s fear was honestly reasonable but still a figment of his imagination. He was a terrible king and only placed there because the actual king, Jehoiachin, was carried away captive. If he followed the Babylonians into exile he might have been met with a lot of Jews who were carried away long before him and were not too fond of Zedekiah. They would, in Zedekiah’s mind, mock and scorn him for all his life.
This happens to us often. We read a command in the Bible that cuts to something very clear in our life. Whether it’s a person we must reconcile with, a habit we must stop, a relationship we must quit, or a door we must walk through, there comes with it various fears that we make up in our mind that prevent us from immediate obedience to His command.
God’s Response to our Fear: “Obey.”
To Zedekiah’s fear the answer is:
“They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.”
Jeremiah 38:20
Jeremiah first comforts him indicating what he feared will not happen. Followed by what he should do: “Obey.” It’s up to Zedekiah whether he believes the Word of God or not. Will he accept what comes from God as truthful and therefore obey it with unwavering determination? Or will he allow his made-up fears to control his actions and in the process disobey the word of God? If he goes the latter route, Jeremiah declares: “Thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.” Disobedience to the Holy God never comes with a small consequence.
The answer to your fear is the same thing. Whatever you are fearing, God would never give you a command that He is not preparing the way for you to obey. You must concern yourself with one thing, and one thing only: “Obey.” The promise for doing so is incredible: “It shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.” Don’t you want that? Then quit the made-up fears that are only figments of your imagination and go on to obey your Savior and Lord.
Action
- Praise God for His commands and how they are not grievous (1 John 5:3)
- Confess to God your made-up fears and how they have prevented you from obeying Him.
- Ask God to help you cast your fears upon Him and relentlessly obey Him.
- Read this post’s song: If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee