Exodus 1:17
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

At the funeral of John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, it was said, “Here lies one who feared God so much that he never feared the face of any man.” This attitude is often reflected in Scripture. There are at least 116 places in the Bible where we are told to “fear the Lord”—not in a cringing, servile fashion, but in a healthy sense of awe, wonder and reverence. It is the kind of fear that enables us to place the One feared above everything else.

We see this attitude in the lives of two women who served as midwives to the nation of Israel. Called before Pharaoh, the most powerful person in Egypt, they were instructed to kill all the newborn Hebrew boys they helped to deliver. But their rever ence for God was greater than their fear of Pharaoh and they determined not to obey his command. It was more important to them to please God than to earn the favor of an earthly ruler.

Are you allowing the fear of some person or situation to keep you from obeying the Lord? Does the fear of your inadequacies inhibit you from serving God right where you are? Remember the promises of His Word: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). When you encounter a fearful situation, fill your mind with these promises. The God Who created and redeemed you is able to give you whatev er it takes to overcome your fears and do what you know pleases Him.

WORLDLY DANGER MAY INTIMIDATE YOU, BUT GODLY FEAR CAN HELP YOU DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in