"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."
Proverbs 14:26
“In the fear of the LORD.”
Having reverence for Jehovah is always the right thing. He is deserving of our honor, love, and praise. We worship and adore Him.
O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.1
“Fearing” Him is the place to begin living our life’s journey. We should start our race with knowledge of Him. Here is where real life begins.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction,” (Proverbs 1:7).
“Is strong confidence:”
When we have a proper “fear” of Him, that reverential awe that elevates Him higher than anything else in our lives, we can know that we are on the right track. With this “fear” comes “confidence.” It is not just a token certainty, but “strong confidence.”
This is the kind of confidence that moved Abraham to offer Issac on the altar.
“Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure,” (Hebrews 11:19).
This is the confidence that encouraged David’s heart when his own people were talking of killing him!
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD is God,” (1 Samuel 30:6).
This confidence in the LORD helped Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to stand firm when they were going into the fire.
“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king,” (Daniel 3:17).
This is the kind of confidence you can have in the LORD!
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee,” (Isaiah 43:2).
Come back tomorrow to learn of the believer’s safety he finds in the LORD.
1. The first stanza of “O Worship the King,” by Robert Grant (1833). Tune Lyons. Copyright status, Public Domain.