Devotionals

Fear That Liberates

by Leona Mingo
09/19/26
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“In Judah God is known; His name is great in Israel. In Salem is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion. There He broke the arrows of the bow, the shield and sword of battle. Selah.”

“You, Yourself are to be feared; and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry? You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to judgment, to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah” Psalm 76: 1-3, 7-9

God is declaring His ownership of Israel and the special place Israel has in His plan for the ages. Many a battle the LORD God has won for Israel and her battles continue to this day.

Fear of people, fear of failure, fear of death, fear of life, fear of poverty, fear of disease, fear of aging, fear of misunderstanding, fear of rejection are some of the oppressing fears that envelop some lives like a suffocating shroud but the one fear that is most promising and non- imprisoning is the fear of God... “You, Yourself, are to be feared and who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?”

It is plainly seen that the world, to their great detriment, does not possess this “fear”, but why would God’s people substitute all these lesser fears (and daunting some are) for the “fear of the Lord”?.

The fear of the Lord (reverential submission) brings them to the conclusion that He is in control of their lives both now and eternally. “Be still and know that I am God” Ps. 46:10 Stillness amid raging fears cannot be found elsewhere.

Because “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, may I be wise in submitting all my lesser fears to this healthy fear that brings with it the stillness that produces peace.