"I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side." -Psalm 3:6
All throughout the scriptures, God informs us that He does not want us to be afraid. “But isn’t that contradictory?” you might say. “Doesn’t God want us to fear Him?” Yes, but that’s a different type of fear. There are in fact three different types of fear mentioned in the Bible.
The first comes from the Greek word phobeo. Phobeo is not a bad type of fear but is described as when someone has seen a heavenly being like an angel or something out of the ordinary.
The second is eulabeia, which means to have the utmost respect for something, or someone. This is the appropriate, godly fear we are to have of God, out of respect for Him. “Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.” -Ecclesiastes 8:13
But, then there is deilia, which means to be timid or cowardly. This is the type of fear that God doesn’t want us to have – He doesn’t want us to be afraid of anything! “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” -Romans 8:15
When we understand that we are God’s children, made in God’s image, we understand that nothing can be greater than God in our lives. We may experience feelings of fear and times of doubt, but ultimately, when God sits on the throne of our lives we will come to realize that nothing is bigger than He is, and He has our best interest in mind.
Is there anything you’re afraid of? (deilia) Ask God to help you with it, and lay it at the foot of the cross today. We can do anything knowing His love is behind us.
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