A few evenings ago I missed a call from my husband as I was putting the kids to bed. Knowing he was on our property it seemed a bit odd for him to call, but I saw the truck lights moving toward the house in the darkness, slowly. A few minutes later he was inside. When he entered the house he slipped me his cell phone which explained the reason for his call. In his pictures was a freshly taken shot just off the trail my children and I often walk. It bore the dreaded diamond back pattern all residents of the Hill Country despise.
Rattlesnake.
Winter is officially over.
A transplant to Texas, I don’t like snakes in general, but I’ve learned that in our area, only cottonmouths, copperheads, coral snakes, and rattlesnakes are worthy of fear. While I might shudder when I find a garter snake or jump at a coachwhip, they pose no true danger to the wellbeing of my three young children. Rattlesnakes, however, are worthy of both fear and respect. Respect causes us to appreciate their power to hurt us and others. Fear causes us to act accordingly.
While no one needs to tell a mom of littles to fear poisonous snakes, it does open the question, what do we fear?
As moms, there are endless scores of things to walk in fear of. Oftentimes, these fears stem from a deep insecurity over things we cannot control. We cannot keep our health forever, and that disturbs us. We cannot manipulate circumstances to predict security. We can’t peer into the future and force a desired outcome for ourselves or our children.
And so we worry.
We often spend much of our lives fearing that which we cannot control and which does not benefit us at all. The better question, then, to consider is, do we fear the One who does control these things? Do we fear the Lord?
In the book of Amos, the Lord reminds us that we do well to fear Him. In the opening chapter of this book, He pronounces judgement on the sinful deeds of the neighboring nations surrounding the people of Israel. He lists the offenses of these nations, giving little reason to question his wrath. However, the focus of the book shifts as chapter 2-4 turns to the offenses of Israel and Judah. Acting as no better than their pagan neighbors, the people of Israel had also rejected the Lord’s commandments and had brought upon themselves His anger. The Lord warns the people that He gave them opportunities to return to Him, but as these have been rejected, they must pay for their sins. The end of chapter 4 concludes like this:
“Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel,
and because I will do this to you, Israel,
prepare to meet your God.”13 He who forms the mountains,
Amos 4:12-13 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Emphasis added.
who creates the wind,
and who reveals his thoughts to mankind,
who turns dawn to darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord God Almighty is his name.
While we are not the nation of Israel and our circumstances are quite different, we do well to remember the solemn command of the Lord. The same God who brings judgement on those who disobey His ways is the same God who we serve and worship. If we understand who God is, we are wise to walk in a fear of Him.
The book of Jonah reminds us that we must fear the Lord and walk in obedience to Him for the sake of our testimony as believers. Jonah, a prophet unwilling to obey the Lord’s command to warn the people of Nineveh of Gods’ judgement, shared that he feared the Lord (Jonah 1:9) to a group of pagan sailors. His testimony, however, likely had little impact, as his confession only came because he had put the lives of the other men in danger.
9 He said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, “How could you do this?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Jonah 1:9-10, New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Jonah’s words and actions didn’t match, and even the pagan sailors recognized this! When Jonah was thrown overboard and the terrible storm threatening the sailors stopped immediately, Scripture says they “feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” (Jonah 1:16b). What a missed opportunity Jonah had with these men to truly teach them of the power of God. Yet the Lord’s judgement was clear, and as Jonah was swallowed whole by a great fish, the Lord vindicated His name. He is to be feared.
So we ought to fear God because of who He is, because it is fitting for believers, but also because Scripture promises good for those who do fear the Lord. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 34:
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
Psalm 34:8-14. New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.
11 Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
Fearing the Lord is truly for our good.
A right fear of God propels us to live in obedience to His commands and draw closer to Him to know Him better. It gives us a greater appreciation for His sending Christ Jesus to die for our sins and make us right with Him. A right fear of God gives us a hatred for our sin and a love for His goodness.
Since my husband found that rattlesnake, I have had heightened vigilance to check our yard for creepy crawlies. The children have worn boots more frequently. I take necessary precautions because I understand that it can be good to have a healthy fear.
How much more does it matter that I, and that all of us, fear the Lord? God’s Word is so clear on the importance of fearing Him. It is necessary for having a right understanding of who He is and His nature. It is a prerequisite to living a lifestyle of obedience to His commands, and it is the avenue by which we are able to live in step with His Spirit and in His favor.
Don’t fear what you can’t control, Mamas. Fear the One who can.
Rattlesnake Photo by Alexis Chateau on Pexels.com
EquippedMama 
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