Whom Do You Trust?

I never realized how much the fear of man gripped my heart until I studied and researched for my books on idolatry and fear. In doing so, I saw how much caring about the thoughts of others influenced my choices, in everything from parenting to housework. I saw how I worshipped the praise and adoration of others and how I found purpose and meaning in how others responded to me. It opened my eyes to the true content of my heart and my need for God’s transforming grace.

Ultimately, I realized I placed my trust in all the wrong places.

The prophet Jeremiah prophesied to God’s people, to warn them of the consequences for their idolatry. If you are familiar with the book, you know he was not well received. That’s because he got to the heart of the matter. He revealed the depths of Israel’s depravity and how far they had wandered from God. In essence, he held up a mirror so they could see the true state of their condition and they didn’t like it. In chapter 17, it tells us that their sin had become so great it was “written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart” (v.1).

In verses 5-10, Jeremiah then contrasts the one who trusts in man versus the one who trusts in the Lord. To trust here is to put hope and confidence in another. “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD” (v.5). When we fear man, when we look to others for the rescue that only God can give—our hearts turn away from the One who made us and calls us his own. In Jeremiah’s day, Babylon threatened to conquer them and God’s people turned to political alliances for help and deliverance, rather than place their hope in God himself. One who trusts in man, rather than God, is “like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land” (v.6).

In the Bible, the wilderness is always a place of danger, of darkness, and of emptiness. Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden because of their sin and enter the wilderness outside the flaming sword, a place of spiritual barrenness where they would no longer commune with God. Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years, a place filled with poisonous snakes and bitter water, and only survived because of the gracious provision of God through manna and water from the rock. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness for forty days, and unlike Israel, was faithful to God, sustained by the same word God had given to Israel in their wilderness wanderings.

Jeremiah contrasts the one who trusts in man with one who trusts in the Lord: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (vv.7-8). The one who trusts in God finds refuge and security in him—that’s what the Hebrew refers to in “whose trust is the LORD.” He is compared to a tree planted by the water which roots run deep. No matter the heat or lack of rain, this tree always grows and bears fruit. The one who trusts in the Lord, who fears him rather than man, is one who is always spiritually nourished and satisfied. When the heat of circumstances come, when the year of drought arrives, he is not worried or anxious, nor does he turn to counterfeit saviors; he finds his refuge in God alone. As Jesus told the woman at the well, “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn.4:14). Author Ed Welch summarizes this Jeremiah 17 passage: “fear of man is a curse that leaves us feeling destitute or empty. The alternative, trust in God, is a blessing that leads to life and fullness.”[1]

Jeremiah then explains why we are drawn to the fear of man: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds” (vv.9-10). The heart is the core of who we are. It is the center of our wills, desires, thoughts, emotions, and choices. It is what drives us. And it is so deceitful, we cannot understand it. We are filled with self-deception. We “follow our heart” into the wilderness where we cannot survive.

But God understands. He knows our heart. And because he knows, he made a way for us to have new hearts. Jeremiah 24:7 looks to that day, a day fulfilled in Christ: “I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” Jesus came to this wilderness we call home, to live the life we could not live and die the death we deserved. In doing so, he brought us back into fellowship with God. The Spirit gives us new hearts that can now turn to him in trust. This means we don’t have to fear man. We don’t have to turn to others for hope and deliverance. We don’t have to look to counterfeit saviors to tell us we are worthy or to give our lives meaning. We don’t have to look for approval from other people. Because we are united to Christ by faith, we have the approval of the only One that matters. And when God looks at us, he says “With you I am well pleased.”

Whom do you trust? Do you fear man or God? “The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (Ps. 25:14).

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

[1] Journal of Biblical Counseling, Fall 1994.

A Prayer of Trust

“He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him” (2 Kings 18:5).

In 1 and 2 Kings we read accounts of various leaders of God’s people. It tells us of kings who did great evil in the sight of God as well as of those who turned back to the Lord, destroyed all the idols, and followed God’s law. In 2 Kings 18-20 we read about King Hezekiah, a king described as one who trusted in the LORD.

Hezekiah was king when the Assyrians threatened Jerusalem. The Assyrian army had already captured Israel and taken them into captivity. Their sights then set on Jerusalem. The king of Assyria sent messengers to Jerusalem to get them to surrender. These messengers mocked both God and Hezekiah. They threatened God’s people, pointing out all the cities and towns they had already conquered. Hezekiah lamented, tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He then called for the prophet Isaiah who told him not to fear the Assyrian army, for God would make certain they did not attack Jerusalem.

The Assyrian king again sent threatening word to Jerusalem, continuing to mock them, warning them of what his army would do to them. How did Hezekiah respond? He brought these frightening threats to the house of God and “spread them out before the LORD” (2 Kings 19:14). He prayed to God and asked for his deliverance.

“O LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone” (2 Kings 19:15-19).

In the face of great fear, Hezekiah turned to the LORD, the great I AM, with a holy fear, a fear of the Lord. He turned to the one who is greater than all earthly kings. He turned to the one who created all things, to the one true God. To the holy and sovereign God who rules over all, including the hearts of kings (Prov. 21:1). Hezekiah turned to God and trusted in him. God then responded to his prayer, “He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David” (2 Kings. 19: 32-34).

God preserved his people. He kept his promise to David that his seed would rule over an everlasting kingdom. For in due time, the King of Kings would incarnate in the house of David, the one who would rescue his people from their greatest enemy: sin and death.

Hezekiah’s prayer of trust in the face of fear is a reminder for us to turn to the Lord with our own cares and fears. As we do so, we pray to the one who created all things. We pray to our covenant making and keeping God. We pray to the one who proved his faithfulness at the cross. We pray to the one who is greater than all that we fear.

A Prayer of Trust in the Face of Fear

Father in heaven,

I come to you with many cares and worries and fears. Life seems like a constant battle. I’m attacked on every side by fears both within and without. The circumstances in the world around me leave me reeling. Everything seems so big and out of control. The trials in my life make me weary. I fear I can’t endure them. And my own sin keeps me from trusting in you. Like God’s people of old, I am tempted to turn to false idols to rescue me. I place my hope in counterfeit gods to make my life easier, safer, and comfortable.

Hezekiah’s prayer reminds me of what is true. You alone are God. There are none beside you. You created all things and by your power they remain. You keep and preserve all you have made by your grace. You are greater than all powers and rulers and authorities. You are seated on your heavenly throne and no one can unseat you. No one can thwart your purpose and will.

You are the unchanging I AM. You are the same God who met Moses at the burning bush proclaiming, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14). You are the same God who fulfilled your promise to David, the same God who delivered your people from Assyria, and the same God who delivered us from sin at the cross through the person and work of your son, Jesus Christ.

Forgive me for looking to my fears and seeing them as greater than you. Forgive me for forgetting who you are. Forgive me for all the ways I place my trust in lesser things. Bear in me the fruit of greater trust. Help me to see you as greater than all that I fear.

Meet me here in my fears with your comfort and love. Rescue and deliver me. Provide for my needs. Be my rock and refuge. Hide me in the shelter of your wings. Help me to remember all that is true.

Because you delivered me from the curse of sin by the death of your Son, I know you are with me and for me this day. I trust and hope in you.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

God's Promises to the Fearful

When I was teen, I went through a dark season of depression and despair. Everything in my life felt hopeless. The future was dark and bleak. I felt like I was at the bottom of a pit and no amount of clawing at the walls would pull me out of it. I struggled to get through each day—to put one foot in the front of the other.

At the time, I worked at my local library—one of my favorite jobs I’ve ever had! I often re-shelved books after they were returned by library patrons. As I placed the books back snugly in their home beside the other books on the shelves, I often flipped through them to see if they interested me. Over time, I found myself taking home books from the religion section, books written by Graham, Lewis, Sproul, even Joni Earekson Tada. I started writing down quotes from these books and posting them on the wall of my bedroom. Any Bible passages they quoted I memorized and tacked to my wall as well. These morsels of truth fed my hurting heart. I clung to those words which pointed me to the One who saved me. I put my hope in these promises, that while the sky was black as night above me, the light would one day return and penetrate the darkness.

And it did.

Do you have a favorite promise of God? Perhaps there is a passage you turn to time and time again to remind you that God is with you in your sufferings and trials. Or you rest in the truth that your salvation is secure, even though the devil tries to tell you otherwise. Or when the pains of life are unrelenting, you look forward to the promise of everlasting joy in eternity. There are numerous promises laced throughout Scripture, each of which are rooted in the meta-promise that God will be our God and we will be his people.

As I read and researched for A Holy Fear, I marveled at the numerous promises God makes to those who fear him. Even more, when I contrasted these promises to those of our lesser fears. For what does future fear promise but loss and sorrow? What does the fear of man promise but more rejection and heartbreak? Can the fear of harm promise rescue or deliverance?

All our lesser fears can promise is only more fear to come.

But for those who fear the Lord in the face of lesser fear—those who turn to the Lord in awe, wonder, worship, adoration, trust, and worship—are promised more than we can even imagine. Promises such as:

• Deliverance (Psalm 33:16-19)

• Satisfaction/Contentment in God (Proverbs 19:23)

• Friendship with God (Psalm 25:14)

• God’s Delight and Pleasure (Psalm 147:10–11)

• God will teach us (Psalm 25:12)

• Good for us (Psalm 34:8–10)

• Everlasting mercy (Psalm 103:17)

And there are many more found throughout the pages of God’s word! Each of these promises are rooted in the person and character of God, for whatever God says always comes to pass. God’s word does all that he wills it to; it never returns void: “so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). We can trust God’s promises for us because he is faithful. He is our promise keeping God.

Dear friend, if your fears overshadow you today, if they whisper promise of more fear around every corner, turn to the Lord. Come to the throne of grace and bring your fears before him. See him in all his glory and wonder and find him as greater. Fall before him in reverence and worship. Relish his goodness and faithfulness toward you. Mediate on and savor the joy of his promises for you. Hang it around your neck like a necklace, identifying you as his own.

As John Bunyan wrote:

“Child of God, thou that fearest God, here is mercy nigh thee, mercy enough, everlasting mercy upon thee. This is long-lived mercy. It will live longer than thy sin, it will live longer than temptation, it will live longer than thy sorrows, it will live longer than thy persecutors. It is mercy from everlasting to contrive thy salvation, and mercy to everlasting to weather it out with all thy adversaries. Now what can hell and death do to him that hath this mercy of God upon him? And this hath the man that feareth the Lord. Take that other blessed word, and O thou man that fearest the Lord, hang it like a chain of gold about thy neck—"As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him" (Psa 103:11). If mercy as big, as high, and as good as heaven itself will be a privilege, the man that feareth God shall have a privilege.” (A Treatise on the Fear of the Lord, p.85).

Do you know God’s promises for those who fear him?

The Gift of the Incarnation

What’s the best gift you’ve received? Perhaps it was your first bike, complete with a basket, bell, and fringe hanging from the handles. Maybe it was the doll you long wanted, the one that came with a matching outfit for you to wear. Or maybe it wasn’t something wrapped in a box, but an experience like a visit to Disney or to watch your favorite team play.

This time of year, gifts are on our mind. We have our lists and we check them twice. We search the stores—or these days, virtual stores—for just the right gift for all our family and friends. The Christmas season is a celebration of the greatest gift of all: God himself. Immanuel. God in the flesh.

An excerpt from my book, A Holy Fear:

What is striking is that the great I AM—the One who has no beginning or end, the One who flung the stars in the sky, the One who is surrounded by creatures who cannot look on His face, the One who could not let Moses see His face and live—wrapped Himself in human flesh and dwelt among us: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God incarnated as a human baby, woven in the womb and born of the virgin Mary.

The incarnation is a wondrous act that, when considered, brings forth awe and wonder. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He always is and always was. He was there before time began, when He and the Father determined to save His people from their sins. He was there at creation, when our triune God brought life into being. Paul tells us in Philippians 2 that Jesus did not consider that equality something to cling to, as a reason not to serve, but He left the halls of heaven to come to earth and took the form of a servant. He entered this world not as a king but as a baby. He lived not in a palace but in a village as a carpenter’s son. As Isaiah described Him:

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isa. 53:3)

In the incarnation, Jesus did not give up His deity, for He was fully God and fully man. As the God-man, Jesus could do what we could not do: obey the law of God. And in so doing, He became the perfect sacrifice for our sin: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

The incarnation was the only way to rescue and redeem us. It was the only way to bring us back into the presence of God. It was the only way to make us His own. What wonder! What a miracle! What mystery! As John Calvin wrote:

It was his task to swallow up death. Who but the Life could do this? It was his task to conquer sin. Who but very Righteousness could do this? It was his task to rout the powers of world and air. Who but a power higher than world and air could do this? Now where does life or righteousness, or lordship and authority of heaven lie but with God alone? Therefore our most merciful God, when he willed that we be redeemed, made himself our Redeemer in the person of his only-begotten Son.[1]

What’s even more amazing is that Jesus Christ reigns in heaven in His resurrected body. He remains enfleshed. Consider the significance that God would not only incarnate to live and die for us but that He would remain the God-man for eternity—scars and all.

This Christmas, may we take time to pause and dwell on what it means that God became flesh. And may we rejoice at the gift of Jesus Christ, born to save.

1 John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 2.12.3.

When Fear Lingers

Many years ago, a co-worker and I witnessed a deadly motorcycle accident. We stopped at the scene and waited for the police and rescue to arrive. Afterward, I couldn’t get the images of the accident out of my mind. I saw them all during the day and they haunted me all through the night. At the time, I worked at a family counseling center and my boss was a psychologist so he helped me work through it. I never again returned to the intersection of that accident.

I shared here recently that I was in a serious accident over a month ago. I’ve had both good days and bad days since. Unlike my experience those many years ago, I can’t avoid the intersection where my accident happened because it is right by my house; I have to drive through it every day. One evening, I drove by an accident in the same location as my own and my body had a strong physical response. Another day, I drove through the same intersection and was startled by cars driving recklessly and angry honking horns. I cried all the way down the road.

To be honest, there are some days I’d like to never get in a car again.

As a counselor, I know how to help myself get through these difficult moments and how to help myself calm down. I also understand what is happening to me. As I wrote in A Holy Fear, “We are not just physical beings nor are we only spiritual beings; we are both, and as such, each aspect of our being affects the other. This means that our fears can affect us physically, or vice versa…for people who have experienced trauma in their life, their bodies remember that trauma long after the fact, often causing them to feel haunted by their past.” There has been much research in recent years on how the body remembers traumatic experiences. Retelling such experiences can be retraumatizing, further imprinting it in the body and mind. I’ve already seen how my body remembers the accident. This makes me be all the more patient with myself, knowing it will take time for my mind to heal from this experience.

Though I do wish this fear was like the fear I felt before a surgery—one that went away once I woke up from the procedure and realized everything was okay. Instead, this fear lingers on. I now feel like a new driver, cautious and hyper aware of other drivers. Life feels more fragile than ever. The natural fear of harm I’ve felt in times past is more profound now. The world doesn’t feel safe and danger lurks around every corner.

While I know God is greater than my fear, it doesn’t always feel that way, especially when my heart pounds and I feel nauseas and the tears start streaming. Some days, my fears seem large and imposing and I sometimes wonder if they’ll have the victory over me. All I can do in that moment is cling to what I know is always true, regardless of how I feel in the moment. That’s why I’m praying the psalmist’s prayer in Psalm 57, one David prayed while facing natural fears of his own. King Saul and his men were on a mission to hunt him down and kill him. David feared for his life. While in hiding he wrote, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by” (v.1). He looked to God as his refuge in the face of his fears. He sought the Lord to deliver him. Some days, the only prayer I can utter is as basic as “Lord, help me!” as I drive down the road. Though my fears shout at me to stay home and not get in the car again, I’m looking to the truth of who God is. I’ve set David’s words on repeat in my heart, “For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds” (v.10).

The Lord has brought helpful friends into my life to encourage me and pray for me in these moments, a testimony of God’s kindness and grace. These friends have shared with me similar experiences they’ve had with car accidents and it is comforting to know that my experiences are to be expected and that things will improve in time. And, if they don’t improve, I will find someone to help me work through it. Meanwhile, I’m intentionally giving my mind and heart a rest.

These fears I’m facing are another reminder to me that this world is not as it should be. Natural fear is a glaring reminder of the fall of man and the pervasive impact of sin on this world. How I long all the more for Christ to return and make all things new! Until he does, I rest in the truth that he is with me and he will carry me through. I move forward one day at a time, facing my fears, and clinging to David’s words: “God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!” (Ps. 57:3).

On A Holy Fear, Giveaway Opportunities, and More

In A Holy Fear: Trading Lesser Fears for the Fear of the Lord, I explore the covenant name of God: the LORD. I explain what it means and why it is so significant. As the most used name for God in the Bible, it is important that we understand it. In the context of the book, understanding this name helps us learn to fear him. And when it comes to the fears of life, the name of God reminds us that he is our place of safety.

As I thought and dwelled on God’s name, and as I studied the topic of the fear of the Lord, I wrote a poem, which is found at the start of the book.

Safe in Him, Our Tall Tower

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

When fear rolls in like a storm cloud
and overshadows my mind,
I freeze and cower like a prey,
My thoughts jumbled and confined

I quit before I ever start;
the journey is danger-filled—
all the unknowns, risks, and what if’s—
Life pauses at a standstill

I live an observer of life,
watching time pass on by me
while my fears consume and control
How I long to be set free!

Then I open your Word and read
of One good and full of grace
The Great I Am who keeps and saves
and calls me before his face

He rules and reigns over all
None can thwart his will and plan
All creation bows before him—
none can snatch me from his hand

Before him all fear fades and shrinks
at Yahweh’s might and power
When we fear him above all else,
we’re safe in him, our tall tower

Where to Find the Book

A Holy Fear released last week on Amazon and immediately sold out. But never fear (see what I did there?), there are additional places you can find it.

Westminster Bookstore has a great deal going on right now for A Holy Fear (40% off!). Click here to learn more.

You can also order it from the publisher here.

Christian Book Distributors also carries it.

Want to learn more? Here are a few opportunities:

Are you a podcast listener? Listen in to my conversation with Theology Gals about A Holy Fear. Click here.

Did you read the excerpt of A Holy Fear at The Gospel Coalition? Click here to read.

I wrote a piece for A Beautiful Christian Life on how we can grow in our fear of the Lord. You can read that here.

Here’s a video in which I talk about the book. Click here to watch.

But above all, I don’t want you to miss this:

***I am running giveaways over on my Facebook Page and on Instagram (@christinarfox). Hop on over and leave a comment to enter for a chance to win a copy of A Holy Fear.