“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” Psalm 91:5-7
Devotional Thought For The Day
I suppose some people might consider it “luck” to have passed through some horrid battle or some catastrophic disaster unscathed. Others might be tempted to attribute such survival to some “superior” trait or skill. That is human logic applied to the unknowable, and for those who have no knowledge of God or faith in His promises, it seems perfectly reasonable to suggest such explanations. However, Scripture throughout indicates that our days, years, times, successes, troubles, personal history, life and death are in God’s hands. “We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has before ordained that we should be walking in them.” [Eph. 2:10] That we are still here, still alive, after near proximity to death in war, crime, accident, disaster, illness, or injury is due to God’s providence and care for us – for which we should be grateful and give thanks and praise to Him!
We also wonder about the individuals who are included in the “thousand” and “ten thousand” who have fallen around us. We too read about people who have died from all of these common causes and have questions about the application of these promises of God to them. We understand that we are no better, no stronger, no more skilled than they were. We recognize that we also will capitulate to death some day. What will these promises mean when that day comes? For children of God the promises remain firmly intact especially at the time of physical death, for “he that believes the Son has eternal life.” [John 3:36] We affirm with Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” [Job 19:25,26] Death is not the greatest enemy. And we know that there is nothing, visible or invisible, in this world or ever, that “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Rom. 8:39]
This enables children of God to live with courage and confidence, that exuded by the psalmist: “You will not fear.” There will still be “terror in the night” and “arrows” and “pestilence” and “destruction” and violence around us. In the midst of these “you shall not fear.” This is the great blessing of faith, a true faith that grasps the real nature and heart of God, a faith that knows and believes the love that God has for us in Christ Jesus, His forgiveness, mercy, truthfulness, faithfulness, power, and His commitment to our greatest good and blessedness. This faith has enabled thousands of martyrs to receive brutal death for their confession of Christ, with peace, confidence, and even joy. It enables us to pour out our energy and our lives to the cause of Christ, in love for His people – rather than pursuing our own wealth, comfort, privilege, pleasure, and prerogatives. This faith is the greatest and most powerful asset that any human being can have – and such faith also is the gift of God [Eph. 2:8,9; Rom. 10:17; John 6:29].
It is a pitiful thing, the way that so many disparage faith and minimize it. It is also pitiful that we do not pray God each day for greater and stronger faith, and that we have little devotion to His blessed Word [Holy Scripture, the Bible] by which such faith is given to us. Then we wonder why we do fear, and sometimes experience terror, and live in vulnerability and anxiety. But the psalmist knew the blessedness of faith, faith born from and centered in the promises of God and His very nature – that God is love. With his words he seeks to extend this same blessedness to us. May God grant that we receive His Word, and allow His Word to strengthen our hearts so that just as He constantly bids His dear children we “fear not.”
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, humanly speaking there are so many things in this fallen world of sin that are frightening and terrorizing, including the certainty of death. You only can give eternal life and blessing, so that nothing can truly harm us. This You have assured to us in Your suffering, death, and resurrection, and in Your great and blessed promises to us. Grant us such faith that we not fear but stand firm, resolute, and courageous in the face of all evils. Amen.