SOAP 12/01/2015; Psalm 112:7

Today's reading: Romans 5, 6, 7, 8*

S) "⁷ He will not fear evil tidings;
His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord."

Psalm 112:7 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Psalm 112

O) This whole psalm is praising God for the blessings that He gives to those who fear Him. In reverence to the LORD, there are direct blessings He gives (see v.3), but there are also indirect blessings (still from God, since He made us this way). The verse above is one of the side effects of fearing the LORD, only. There is the obvious sort of exclusion, that if we fear "only God" then that leaves no room left to fear anyone or anything else. But, it isn't really scripted that way. What actually happens is that, as we fear the LORD, we trust Him. As we trust Him, we fear everything else less. That is why the word used for fearing the LORD can also usually be translated as "revere," since it's not exactly the same as fearing death, or fearing punishment, etc. So, this is not a matter of one fear displacing another, as if our brains are only capable of fearing one thing at a time. Instead, this is a matter of our reverence for God, maturing into trusting Him, which then dissolves all fears of evil tidings.

A) Fear of the LORD is a hot topic for me, because it is definitely not something I do by my personality. While many people struggle with pride on some level, when I was in the world my pride bent me to disrespect authority with complete irreverence. It was pretty active. In that sense, I do very much have to choose to revere God. I have to choose to make myself subject to Him. I have to choose humility and fear. Relative to this verse, I need to remember that fearing no evil tiding comes from trusting in the LORD, not trusting in my own ability, wisdom, or strength. We never want to believe that anything truly evil will come upon us, but in reality, evil has many forms and ample opportunity. The only thing preventing more evil from touching my life, is really the grace of God (see: Job). So, with that in mind, if I am thinking that I can protect or preserve myself, then what I am really doing is telling God that He can remove His hand from me, and let every evil come upon me. In that way, I am being irreverent toward God, because I am not correctly valuing His strength, provision, protection, wisdom, or even His sovereignty. If I am exalted, then He is not. In that sense, there can be only one object of my reverence: God or me. The truth is, when I am humble and grounded, and thinking of it clearly, I am terrified at the thought of facing evil on my own. Only God can help me face it, and He knows exactly what I can handle. In that way, I easily recognize how mighty He truly is, and how greatly He is to be feared. Then, it is easy to trust Him. Then, when evil tidings do come, my heart will be steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

P) Father, Your grace is astounding. I am thoroughly humbled by these realizations today. Understanding that it is only by Your grace, that I do not face every evil that the devil could throw at me, this is a sobering truth. Understanding that You only allow what You know I can resist, and that You equip me and lead me, in order that I may walk in victory, this is the most humbling. You have rigged every encounter I have, stacking the odds in my favor! It is only because of You, that I have a fighter's chance. But, even more than that, I can have every victory, because You have already paid the price and defeated my enemy! Help me to continue to be mindful, revering and fearing Your, LORD. Help me to continue trusting in You alone, for strength, wisdom, and ability. Open my eyes and ears, that I may continue to glorify Your name in every circumstance. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.