Fear Or Faith

In the early 1500’s, after a century of the black plague in Europe, Martin Luther was traveling at night, and found himself in a forest during a severe electrical storm. He had seen friends die from the plague and now his life was threatened. He feared for his life, and got down on his knees to pray to God. He prayed that if God would spare his life, that he would dedicate and give his life to God’s work.

The irony of this is, that once you’ve truly given your life to God, you no longer fear death. In other words, until a person gives himself to God, that person believes that their own life is the only thing worth saving, and their problems are the only problems worth fighting and solving. To trust in God’s will and plan for one’s life, allows them to focus on the task ahead, rather than worrying about the consequences. God is in charge and will protect the person all the way into everlasting life.

God tells us what our next step should be, but He never tells us the full story. Perhaps, because we would worry so much about the low spots in our lives, that we could not fulfill God’s plan for us.

God didn’t tell Job, that all ten of Job’s children would be killed in an earthquake. He didn’t tell Job that raiders would steal all his livestock, and weather would destroy his crops, leaving him penniless and with a body wracked with boils. And He didn’t tell Job that when his ordeal was over, God would restore everything to him doubled. He allowed Job to go through His ordeal in faith.

Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

Job 19:25 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:”

Job was only able to survive his test, because He believed and trusted in his Lord.
His reward was that his wealth was doubled and he had ten more children before he died.

Do we, today, hold God at arm’s length; or do we embrace Him? Do we give ourselves to Him and take Him for ourselves? Do we worry about what might happen, or do we leave “what might happen” to God and his plan for our lives?
Do we live in fear, or live in faith? Do we suspect that God lives, or do we know, without a doubt, that He lives in us and we in Him? We can know and we can choose.

II Timothy 1:7 “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
book: amazon.com/God,reward,andpunishment