John Donne knew fear. The seventeenth-century church minister wrote many of his meditations when he was ill and seemingly on the threshold of death. “I should belie nature if I should deny that I feared this,” he admitted candidly.
During one season on his sickbed, it dawned upon Donne that life will always find a way to make us fearful. Illness, finances, work issues—really, the list is endless. Donne summed up the choice we face as follows: we either fear God or we fear everything else.
Donne’s reflection perfectly matches the psalmist’s: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1–2). Our fear of this world is transformed when we reverently fear the Lord. To ‘fear’ Him is to “be still, and know that [he is] God” (v. 10), ruling over every worry.
Imagine! The One who can melt the earth with the sound of His voice (v. 6) is our fortress today (v. 11). Donne realised that no trial or trouble—not even death—could ever stand against God. So, he wrote in his diary, “Give me, O Lord, a fear of which I may not be afraid.” This awesome fear of our almighty yet loving God melts all other fears. For He is our “ever-present help in trouble” (v. 1).
By Chris Wale
REFLECT & PRAY
What are you afraid of at the moment? How might a reverent fear of God lessen your fear of your circumstances and bring you peace?
Dear God, I thank You for being my fortress in times of trouble. Help me to set my awe and adoration upon You alone, for You are greater than anything I will ever face.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Psalm 46, the psalmist uses exaggeration to express his trust in the safety God provides. He tells of feeling safe in circumstances where safety is unimaginable. When the very ground under our feet is uncertain, the psalmist expresses confidence in the protection of the Lord. He isn’t saying, “Do not fear” because our circumstances are not fear-worthy, but because our God is bigger than our troubles. In uncertain times, He is stable. The mountains crumbling into the sea is a graphic image of the most stable land feature giving way. In what circumstances do you need to remember that God is constant and unchanging? How can you express your trust in Him as your refuge?
J.R. Hudberg
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