The Power - The One Year Heaven on Earth Devotional

Read: Zephaniah 3:9-20

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. Zephaniah 3:17, NIV

IN WORD

The most common malady of the human spirit—and the strongest enemy of our faith—is fear. That’s why the most common biblical command is “fear not,” “do not be afraid,” or something similar. “Be strong and courageous,” people of faith are told repeatedly in the Word. The dynamic is clear: Fear and faith are at opposite ends of a spectrum, and when we move toward one, we move away from the other.

But a command to “fear not” doesn’t mean very much unless we’re given a good reason. The human mind usually does not dispense with its fears without an explanation. Instead, we need to know why fear is illegitimate and why we should be courageous and full of faith. So God, through Zephaniah, gives us our reason. Soon after He assures the remnant that they will be able to lie down at night without fear, He tells them why. Fear is illegitimate because “the LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” God’s people do not need to fear, because He is powerfully sovereign over everything that can make us afraid.

We know that intellectually. Our minds are familiar with this truth. And maybe that’s the problem; familiarity breeds complacency. Truths that remain only in the mind are taken for granted and neglected, and they never sink into the heart, where they can actually impact us where we hurt. We can remind ourselves repeatedly that God is mighty to save, but until we feel that truth in the depths of our heart, we will remain afraid.

IN DEED

What do you fear today? How do those fears constrain you and limit what you are able to do? What task has God called you to do that would require a scary step of faith? Spend some time meditating on the God who is mighty to save—the God who delights in and rejoices over you—and ask yourself, “Why am I afraid?” Let the truth of God’s power sink in, and you will be well equipped to take a huge step of faith—and to lie down at night unafraid.

ADDITIONAL READING: Deuteronomy 31:6

God incarnate is the end of fear; and the heart that realizes that He is in the midst . . . will be quiet in the midst of alarm.

F. B. MEYER