Fear Thou Not

The recent turmoil in financial markets can perhaps be summarized by this headline: “Wall Street’s ‘fear gauge’ soars to a rare ‘crisis’ level.” Because of uncertainty, there is a very high level of fear which is causing a lot of volatility in markets. I even had a coworker tell me his dad is wondering if he can still retire as planned this fall because of how his retirement investments have been hit. It reminds me of the prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite who said: “And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more” (Helaman 13:18). Those who have money in stock markets have suddenly found that a large portion has disappeared. But the Lord does not want us to fear the future, and despite uncertainty and dire predictions, we should as always trust in Him and fear only Him. When the people of Judah were worried about their political situation and the threat of both Assyria and the northern kingdom, the Lord said this to them through the prophet Isaiah: “Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary” (Isaiah 8:12-14). We need not fear what the world fears; instead, we should fear the Lord and put our trust in Him. He is our sanctuary, even when the fear level in the world is at crisis level.

                Indeed, one of the themes of the writings of Isaiah is that we should not fear but instead trust in the Lord. He said, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 41:10, 13-14). What an incredible promise from Jehovah to His people! The Lord emphasized again that He would be with Israel: “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine…. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west” (Isaiah 43:1, 5). Again, He repeated, “Thus saith the Lord that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen… Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses” (Isaiah 44:2, 8). The Lord does not want His people to be afraid; rather He wants them to remember that He formed them and will help them. In another place He similarly said, “Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame…. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee…. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 54:4, 14, 17). As we seek to establish a life of righteousness, we need not fear or be ashamed. If we are servants of the Lord, no weapon against us will prosper in the long run. Instead of letting the fear of the world overtake us, this powerful declaration instead should be our mantra: “Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4).