{"id":13442,"date":"2025-07-21T08:31:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T12:31:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=13442"},"modified":"2025-07-21T08:31:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T12:31:28","slug":"a-fear-that-brings-rest","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/a-fear-that-brings-rest","title":{"rendered":"A FEAR THAT BRINGS REST"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cThe fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm\u201d (Proverbs 19:23 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Fear and rest do not usually go together. For fear itself produces anxiety. Yet this proverb describes the surprising relationship between fearing God and experiencing real rest. \u201cFear of the Lord\u201d does not refer to terror of God\u2019s condemnation, but reverent awe of His majesty, love, and holiness. It is a fear that seeks to avoid displeasing the Father, not because we are afraid He will reject us, but because we love Him too much to grieve Him. Such fear leads to life, true life, the kind that satisfies and gives rest. The one who fears the Lord does not live anxiously under the threat of harm, but confidently under the shelter of His care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we fear the Lord rightly, we are freed from all lesser fears. What can man do to us if we stand in awe of the Almighty? God becomes our refuge. Fearing God, we need fear nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this \u201crest\u201d is not necessarily freedom from outward trouble, but it is an inward peace. It is the settled satisfaction of one who walks closely with God. \u201cNot visited by harm\u201d means the one who fears the Lord is ultimately safe, even when life is hard. For all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We often fear the wrong things\u2014loss, failure, rejection\u2014when our hearts should be shaped by a healthy fear of the Lord. When we fear God rightly, we find peace. We no longer live under the dread of condemnation, for in Christ we are forgiven and accepted. But we still reverence God\u2019s holiness and seek to please Him in our daily walk. When we fear God above all, we are no longer controlled by other fears. This kind of fear brings deep joy and rest. Are we living this way? Do we fear grieving the One who loves us most? Let us walk in such reverent awe today that our souls find satisfaction in Him alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You that in Christ we no longer fear Your condemnation. Yet we do revere You and stand in awe of You. Teach us to walk in the fear of the Lord. For when we fear You, we need fear nothing else. Help us to rest in the shelter of Your love, confident that You will not allow any harm to reach us outside Your perfect will. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm\u201d (Proverbs 19:23 ESV). Fear and rest do not usually go together. For fear itself produces anxiety. Yet this proverb describes the surprising relationship between fearing God and experiencing real rest. \u201cFear of the Lord\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1287],"scripture-chapter":[1352],"oyb_day":[1729],"location":[],"class_list":["post-13442","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-proverbs","scripture-chapter-1352","oyb_day-july-21"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/13442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=13442"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}