Freedom from Fear

"He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and that you might always fear the LORD your God." (Joshua 4:24)

This verse is the culmination of a significant event in the book of Joshua. In the preceding verses, we read about the Israelites crossing the Jordan river; and just as God had parted the Red Sea for them during the time of Moses, (Exodus 14:21-31) He once again performed a mighty miracle, by causing the waters of the Jordan river to "pile up in a heap," (Joshua 3: 16) allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground.

This event is significant, because it marks the fulfillment of a promise that God made to them, to give them the land of Canaan. This illustrates God's faithfulness to His covenant, and serves as a powerful demonstration of His power and might. The verse continues: "so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

The word 'fear'; what immediately comes to mind? It usually reminds us of something negative.

Fear is one of the most destructive forces of the world. It's clear from watching the news, or reading the newspaper, that the world we live in today is full of fear. Some of the biggest social issues of our time are anxiety, depression, fear of the future and fear of failure. Fear conjures up images of terror or punishment.

However, there is one object of fear which produces a positive reaction. It is often difficult to get our heads around this, because we are conditioned from a young age to associate fear with negativity. There is one 'fear' that causes us to flourish and to grow in our relationship with God, and that is "the fear of God."

The Hebrew word for 'fear' is "yirah" and is also used to refer to reverence and the awesome nature of God. If our lives focus on the living God, then fearing God is a part of worshipping Him. It recognises that He is exalted far above us, and we draw near, in having awe and reverence for His power, presence and His attributes.

What does the 'fear of God' actually look like in our lives?

What do we need to do to fear God?

Well, Psalm 33:8 tells us that the answer is to stand in awe and "revere Him."

The dictionary defines 'awe' as being a deep respect, accompanied with astonishment and wonder. Our default place of rest is therefore a wonder and astonishment for what God has done for us. The fact that God in all His power and majesty sent His Son, Jesus to die on a cross so that we could live, is the greatest miracle ever!

We can only stand in awe of God's magnificent saving work and the incredible value He puts on our lives. We are children of God, created in His image and no one can take that away from us.

The "fear of God" allows us to view Him as the one who causes demons to shudder at His greatness, (James 2:19) the mountains to melt like wax before Him, (Psalm 97:5) and sin and death to be completely at His feet. (Revelation 1:17)

Fearing God is not a paralyzing fear, but it is more than awesome respect. This extraordinary "fear of God" allows other fears to leave because "His perfect love casts out fears" (1 John 4:18).

When we are under God's love and protection, we do not need to fear death, other people or other things. The fear of God allows us to say that no matter what the enemy throws at us, God in His infinite power, might and love will turn all things good. In doing so, it opens our eyes to the freedom that we are called to enjoy on earth, because we know that the God who lives on the inside of us, is the same God who spoke creation into existence.

Once we know that God is for us, because of our decision to follow Him, we can walk boldly and confidently without any fear for what is ahead of us. The challenge we face is to remind ourselves daily that God is on our side, giving us access to experience absolute freedom through Jesus.

So today, let's choose to stand in awe, and experience the freedom that God brings our way.