February 7
“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6.
We know what we have done in the past. Some of it we would classify as being good, and some of it not so good. Presently, many people are living in fear. As they look around and see what is happening in the world, they have fears of various kinds. Some have financial fears. Some fear that their health is failing. Some have family fears; everyone in the family does not seem to be doing so well. Some have fears because they feel that death is knocking at the door for themselves or for a loved one. Students often have the fear of failing and not being able to make the grade. Some go through life fearing what other people might say or do. Many fear what might happen in the future, since the future is unknown to us. Where or to whom shall we turn to deal with all of our fears?
The psalmist expresses it beautifully: “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.” How can you be sure that the Lord is on your side? Would you look for an answer to this question by going to the Ten Commandments? If you read all of them carefully and consider every “do” and “don’t,” you might just give up and despair. If you carefully consider every Commandment, you will quickly conclude that you have not always been on God’s side, doing the things He asks you to do and avoiding the things that He forbids. Well, if you have not always been on God’s side, how do you know that He is on your side? You might ask yourself, “Does God hate me or love me?”
To answer this question, go to the Gospel – the Good News about God’s love for poor, miserable sinners. Perhaps you once had the privilege of learning that familiar verse which has been called the Gospel in a nutshell: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16. Put your belief and trust in God’s grace and mercy revealed through the Lord Jesus Christ and you can be sure that God is on your side.
In the Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life,” Romans 5:8-10.
When you trust and believe in Jesus as the Son of God and your only Savior from sin, death, and hell, you can be sure that God is on your side. Have no fear!
The words of the psalmist are repeated by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews: “We may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:6. Those words are preceded by the promise of God, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5. Don’t worry about what people are plotting or planning. Through faith in Christ, you are in God’s hands!
We pray: Gracious heavenly Father, strengthen and increase my faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus. Keep Your protecting hand over me and bless me in both body and soul as only You can do. Increase my faith in Your many promises revealed in Your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray, and I ask You to bless my day. Amen.