Whom Shall I Fear?

14 FEBRUARY

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 

Psalm 27:1

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Romans 8:31-39

All our fears arise from this source: we are too anxious about our life and fail to acknowledge that God is our preserver. We can have no tranquility until we are persuaded that our life is sufficiently protected by God's omnipotent power.

Let us learn to value God's power to protect us so that all our fears are put to flight. Because of the infirmity of the flesh, the minds of the faithful cannot at all times be entirely devoid of fear. But let us immediately recover courage, and, from the high tower of our confidence, look down upon all our dangers with contempt. Those who have never tasted the grace of God tremble because they refuse to rely on Him. They imagine that He is often incensed against them or at least far removed from them. But with the promises of God before our eyes and the grace that they offer, our unbelief grievously wrongs God if we do not with shrinking courage boldly set Him against all our enemies.

God kindly allures us to Himself and assures us that He will take care of our safety. When we embrace His promises and believe Him to be faithful, we should also highly extol His power so that our hearts are ravished with admiration of Himself. We must mark well this comparison: what are all creatures to God, and how does He protect them? Moreover, we must further extend this confidence to banish all fears from our consciences. Like Paul, we can then speak of our eternal salvation by boldly exclaiming, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: When an affliction or danger provokes anxious fear in us, what does that say about our trust in God? How can we daily trust in God as our preserver so that fears do not overwhelm us?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke