Friday, March 7, 2014

She Shares Truth: Psalm 130

Psalm 130:4 ESV
But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.


Romans 2:4 NLT
Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?


Philippians 1:21 NIV
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

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When I read through Psalm 130, verse 4 literally jumped off the page. God has been really working on my heart in the area of fear lately - something that I am sure all Christian people wrestle with.

God is truly the only person worthy of our fear. I grew up hearing that we needed to fear God but never really understood what it meant. I knew that God was loving, so why would I need to be afraid of him. But now I can see that fear has a much deeper meaning than simply "to be afraid of something/someone".

I am so thankful that God doesn't strong-arm us into repentance and the kind of awe/reverence/fear that Psalm 130 (and much of the rest of the Bible) talks about. His kindness and grace toward us is what leads us into repentance; a heart change that results in us bowing down in worship to the ONLY ONE who is truly worthy!

For me, this is where Philippians 1:21 comes in. I was challenged this week to honestly consider the Truth that "to live is Christ and to die is gain".  Here are some of the realities in my every day life that I am praying for God to change in me:


Unfortunately, the way I live my life on a daily basis reveals that I fear a lot of other people/things more than I fear the Lord. I fear rejection, change, disapproval, failure, conflict, confrontation, exhaustion...

Most of these fears are rooted in my deep fear of man. Do you struggle with this? It's commonly referred to as "people-pleasing" which doesn't sound so bad, right? 

I have in no way mastered this issue. My heart still battles with this desire to fear others above my fear for God. But thankfully He is patient, and kind, and so gracious with me as He walks through this struggle - helping me to see daily that He is truly worthy of my fear. And ultimately, when Christ is on the throne of my heart, the only One I am fearing, the end result will always be gain. There is not other variation that ends in good.

I know this reflection is supposed to be on Psalm 130, but when I read verse 4, "But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared", I knew that I had to share what Jesus has been teaching me about fear through this powerful verse in Philippians.

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So how would you fill this in?
What are your fears, or the things you value above Christ...and what is the end result? 



To live is _____________ and to die is ________________.


Praying that we would all come to truly live out this truth today! 
Christ is the only One worthy of our fear. He is SO good to us!!!

10 comments:

  1. I love the passages you brought in to your study! Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. Thanks for reading Raechel and for the opportunity to reflect and share! Alrrady this study is so encouraging and challenging!!!!

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  2. I will absolutely be making a "to live is...." list tonight. What a beautiful reminder!

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    1. I have been reflecting on my list all week. So glad the reminder was encouraging to you too!

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  3. Love this.... Thank you so much

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  4. Great challenge question. I'm going to ponder this. I have had what I describe as a heritage of fear. My grandma bless her heart let fear rule her life. Influence every decision she made. I do not want my life ruled by fear, it has taken a lot of prayer & trust in God to step out of the shadow that fear had castes on my life. I want to live a life being brave, trusting in God and stepping out in faith & obedience. God is so faithful and had held my hand along the way. Because when I started I could only do shuffle like baby steps but oh how I've grown confident of His love & peace and my stride had gotten bigger. It's still where the enemy loves to attack me. But I am leaning on Him. Thanks for your post! It really touched my heart

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    1. I'm so glad you visited my blog and that you can relate. It's such a deep rooted issue isn't it?! Praying for you as we both walk through this challenging area!!!

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  5. Love the challenge you posted! As someone who used to be paralyzed by fear of man until the Lord delivered me from that struggle, I would encourage you to continue pressing into Him. The more you run after Him and fill your thoughts with His truth, the less other people's opinions of you will matter. I love this post! Thank you for sharing and praying for you, Krysta!

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    1. So sorry I'm just now responding, but thank you so much Heather for your sweet comment and prayers! I am definitely growing in this area still (two months later) and likely will be throughout my life, but I am so thankful for God's patient pursuit of my heart. Your words are so encouraging to me! I hope you have a blessed week!!!

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