Day 4: From all fears
I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears (Psalm 34:4).
Our Father and our God, we extol You, we praise You, we glorify You, we exalt Your name (Psalm 34:1-3). You are the only One who can deliver—from sin, from death, and from all they cause.
Your word tells us that sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned (Romans 5:12). And into Your perfect creation, fear came along with sin and death.
Fear was the first sign of human separation from God: The Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Genesis 3:9-10).
Reeling under the shock of overwhelming nakedness and exposure the couple desperately cobbled together a "fix" of fig leaves (Genesis 3:7); but nothing they could provide themselves was an adequate covering. And even when You made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them (Genesis 3:21), this was a temporary provision.
Nothing in all creation—not fig leaves nor animal skins, nor the law that was later to be given could deliver them from the death, destruction, guilt, and condemnation their disobedience had caused. It wasn't until Your promised Redeemer (Genesis 2:15) conquered death by His own death that a permanent covering for sin, guilt, condemnation and spiritual exposure was provided, and the root cause of fear was eliminated:
Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
And now, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Freed from the prison of fear, we now live in the realization of the promise, the Lord will rescue His servants; no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned (Psalm 34:22).
Father, we know that Jesus has freed us from the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14). Yet we know that the latter still prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
You ask us to stay awake and remain clothed so as not to go naked and shamefully exposed (Revelation 16:15). For You know that our adversary tries to hound us into familiar prisons of fear that have been our habitation for so long.
But when fear dogs our heels, we remember that You, Lord, are our strong Deliverer. We remember that we no longer rely on our own cobbled human fixes or flimsy fig leaves. We remember that the weapons of our warfare have divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4).
Increase our faith as we trust in You—as we seek You and pray. Shield us from the fiery darts of dread and anxiety, panic, and alarm. Release us from bondage and strongholds. Deliver us from all fears.
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