Last night I read Genesis 20, where Abraham passes Sarah off
as his sister (for the second time!). He tells Abimelech, “I did it because I
thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me
because of my wife.’” It’s ironic that he says they don’t fear God, and yet he
was the one who deceived them instead of trusting God to protect him. It was
the fear of God that caused Abimelech to return Sarah to him untouched. Abraham
appears to have feared men more than he feared God.
Don’t we all do that at times? We judge the beliefs of
others, but we don’t realize how we are failing to live up to what we say we believe
ourselves. We label others as unbelievers or baby Christians, yet our own
actions reveal our lack of faith.
The Desiring God blog just posted an article by Jon Bloom, “Lay Aside the Fear of Man.” He writes, “We all experience this fear, and most of us
don’t want to admit how serious its tyranny can be… we obey the one we fear.” If we truly believe God is in control and
that He loves us more than we can imagine, there’s no real reason to fear
anything people can say or do. Men can insult us, fire us, or even kill us, but
they cannot separate us from the love of God and eternal life with Him. Perhaps
the real problem is that we value this life and its comforts more than we
ought. It is enjoyable to be well-liked, gainfully employed, and free from
difficulties, but that may not line up with a life of obedience to God.
Abraham had been told he would be the father of many nations
(Gen. 15:5) and would live to old age (15:16), yet he didn’t trust that God
would protect him in his journeys. It is amusing how many times he felt he had
to take matters into his own hands. Yet in spite of their failures, Abraham and
Sarah both made it into the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. The other people
listed in that chapter had their own mistakes and faults as well. That makes
them even better witnesses to God’s grace, mercy, and faithfulness.
It’s good to know that our faith doesn’t have to be perfect
all the time. It may ebb and flow, and circumstances may cause us to doubt, but
God knows our weakness and desire to trust Him more fully. It’s no coincidence
that Hebrews 12 starts out with a reminder to keep looking to Jesus for
encouragement and endurance. Only when we keep our eyes in the right place can
we trust Him to do all that He has promised. When we start looking for man’s
approval, or we see the storms raging around us, we are sure to lose heart and make
the wrong choices.
As usual, I’m preaching first to myself. In this week of
meetings and frustrations, it was easy to get focused on the wrong things and
get bogged down in the details. But as I was reminded by the Sidewalk Prophets
song, “You love me anyway.”
Ultimately, God’s love is more important than any plans we can make, any budget
we can write, or any policies we can pass. His love means more than a
comfortable job, a happy home, or civil liberties. Faith in His love and His
promises gives us reason to endure, to follow, and to obey.
“And do not fear those
who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy
both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 ESV).
