If you could sum up 2020 in one word, what would it be?

For me, the word is “fear.” I felt its presence in response to news of the novel coronavirus, as it crept its way across the globe, leaving death and devastation in its wake. I found myself fearful for my children, both long-time asthma sufferers. What if they got sick?

Then came the economic impact, the loss of jobs, and the uncertainty about how people would make ends meet. Would my husband lose his job too? Soon came the heartache and sorrow over the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and too many others. I couldn’t help but wonder how much more tragedy will there be this year?

Soon enough, I watched reports of fires. Storms. Floods. Add to that civil unrest and disunity across our nation.

Yes, I think fear is an appropriate word.

Fear in this world

All these circumstances are fear-filled. That’s because we live in a fallen and broken world where bad things happen, including pandemics, violence, loss, and so much heartache. This sin-stained world is not as it should be, and we should not be surprised by our fearful response. It is an emotion common to mankind and a proper response to such circumstances. It’s what the Puritan John Flavel called “natural fear,” an emotion our Savior felt as He anticipated the horrors of the cross before Him.

While fear in the face of a pandemic and all the uncertainty this year has yielded is normal, the Bible calls us to do something with those fears. It calls us to respond to our fears with another fear, a greater fear, the fear of the Lord.

Fear of the Lord

There are two common commands laced throughout the Bible: “do not fear” and “fear the Lord.” At first glance, they might seem contradictory or unrelated. But they are connected. The Bible teaches us that in the face of our fears, we are trade those fears for the fear of the Lord.

What is the fear of the Lord? It’s not the panic-terror-nausea-inducing-heart-racing kind of fear we might experience when we hear bad news or when we hear someone shout the word “Fire!” Instead, the fear of the Lord is a holy mixture of reverence and awe, wonder and amazement, love and gratitude, trust and obedience. It is the response of one who knows the depths of his depravity and marvels at the grace of God showered upon him in Christ. It is the response of one who knows who God is in His holiness, righteousness, goodness, and truth, and rejoices at the privilege it is to come before His presence. It is the response of one who knows God is greater; He is the supreme sovereign who rules over all, who ensures that nothing and no one can snatch His beloved children from His hand. 

In Matthew 10, Jesus sent the disciples out on their own to preach about the good news of the Kingdom. He warned them of those who would seek to kill them and of great persecution to come. It was in this warning that Jesus told them not to fear, but to instead fear the Lord. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28). He goes on to tell them why, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31). Because they were God’s beloved, they were to trust and rest in God, not to fear what others might do to them.

Dear friends, fearful circumstances in this life are here to stay. Whether it is a pandemic or something else, we can expect bad things in a fallen world. But for those who are in Christ, we can also expect God’s sovereign care over us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God for us in Christ Jesus. Nothing. He is our refuge in the face of all that we fear. He is greater. In the face of fear, let us turn to God with a holy fear, the fear of the Lord.