Faith Over Fear

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

FAITH OVER FEAR

1 Kings 18:8-15

8 "Yes," he replied. "Go tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'" 9 "What have I done wrong," asked Obadiah, "that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is not a nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to look for you. And whenever a nation or kingdom claimed you were not there, he made them swear they could not find you. 11 But now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' 12 I don't know where the Spirit of the LORD may carry you when I leave you. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn't find you, he will kill me. Yet I your servant have worshiped the LORD since my youth. 13 Haven't you heard, my lord, what I did while Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you tell me to go to my master and say, 'Elijah is here.' He will kill me!" 15 Elijah said, "As the LORD Almighty lives, whom I serve, I will surely present myself to Ahab today."

NIV

Ahab rules with fear, as we see Obadiah fears for his life if he goes to him and tells him that Elijah is here. Obadiah lives in fear of his king. Elijah assures him that he will present himself before Ahab, but the point of today's lesson for us is about living in fear. We know that faith conquers fear, or, another way to say it, faith over fear. We are told not to be concerned or afraid of those who kill our bodies but cannot kill our souls. Jesus said that we should be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul, and the body in hell. He was making the point that we are worth more than the sparrow that does not fall to the ground apart from our Father’s will. Jesus also made the point that our heavenly Father knows every hair on our heads, so we should not be afraid. Fear can cripple us, making us ineffective for the kingdom of God. We certainly do not need to fear God, although Solomon said that to fear God is the beginning of wisdom. He quoted a psalm his father, David, wrote, but the Hebrew word used for 'fear' of God actually means moral reverence of God. That is far different from being afraid, as to live in fear of God. When we give our Heavenly Father the proper respect, giving him reverence, we find the beginning of wisdom. It might seem unkind to think that those who do not give God the proper respect or revere him are unwise, which, in other words, is dumb or stupid.  They should be like Obadiah, living in fear of the King of kings. We know our Father because He has revealed Himself to us, showing us His love toward us, His forgiveness, protection, provisions, directions, and giving us a purpose for our lives. He gave us Jesus, who gives us His peace and eternal life. We have so much more from the hand of God that we would need a book to record it. In fact, God already saw that everything He has done for us is recorded in sixty-six books. Yet, at the same time, we could expound forever on all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. We live in His love, so we are not afraid. Faith is always over fear.