Whom Shall I Fear

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—whom should I dread?

(Psalm 27:1)

Meditation

I used to fear death. My fear of death was based on not knowing what was on the other side of that death threshold. Does our existence end in nothingness when this life is over, or do we get back in line to be reincarnated to a new life? I couldn’t imagine, or more likely, I didn’t want to think there might be a supreme being I would have to submit my will to. I thought that giving control of my life to God was a sign of weakness. I looked at religion as a list of things I wasn’t going to be able to do anymore. So, because of my rebellion, I was totally scared out of my wits about dying. There’s an old Blood, Sweat and Tears song called “And When I Die” with a lyric that says, “I swear there ain’t no heaven, but I pray there ain’t no hell.” It was kind of my theme song for many years.

The older I got the list of things I was afraid of got longer. For one, I was afraid of having to speak publicly. The thought of having to stand before people and say anything was horrifying to me. Also, when I was in my late twenties, a close friend died suddenly of a heart attack. He was only thirty-two years old and full of life without any health issues, or so we thought. I was afraid the same thing might happen to me and worried about it for many years. However, after I gave my life to Jesus and began following him, I no longer feared death. I didn’t turn into a super hero all of a sudden. I turned into a follower of Jesus Christ with nothing to fear because he is my strength and hope. He is my refuge in times of peril and disaster.

No matter what happens now, I don’t have anything to fear. I’m not saying I welcome or look forward to dying. We all have an innate desire to stay here in this life with those we love. However, when death does come to us, as believers, we know where we’re going. We know what comes after this life and it’s so much better than this one, so long as we belong to Jesus. When we finally turn our lives over to Christ, he is our refuge and fortress. The devil has no more sway in our lives. He is there any time our lives are at risk. He will be there at the moment we take our last breath, cross into eternity and hear him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter the joy of your master!’ Hallelujah!

Prayer Time

Heavenly Father you are the Master of our lives and we are your willing slaves. We humbly submit to your lordship over our lives because you offer us protection from dangers we cannot even see. We know there will come a day when all that is evil in this world and in the spiritual realm, will be cast into the lake of fire, however, that time has not yet come. However, you are our refuge and strength when we are surrounded by evil. You will protect us and hold us in your embrace, no matter what may come. Remove from our thought any dread that comes from an unknown future. When we’re confronted with a life-threatening situation, help us to remember there is nothing to fear from death. It’s merely a doorway from this existence to the next. You have a plan for our lives that does not guarantee us tomorrow but does guarantee us eternity. Remind us, Lord, to stay in the Word, reading daily, to renew our trust in your will for our lives and our eternity. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!