Isaiah 8:11-13 -- On Paths and Fear

"For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."
Isaiah 8:11-13


I like the idea here that we shouldn't fear what the world fears. The part about letting the Lord be our fear and dread could mean a lot of things... perhaps that we need to respect and honor him and understand that his wisdom trumps our own by an almost infinite amount, or maybe that using the energy that we would spend on worrying and fear, if spent on the Lord would be much more wisely spent. What it makes me think of today though is that the only thing that we really need to fear is losing that connection. Separation from God is the true death. And as we learn in Romans 8:38-39, *nothing* can separate us from Christ except ourselves, if we choose to walk away or turn away from him.

Today, let's sanctify (respect, prioritize) God in our lives, and remember that if we walk with him, we will eventually reach all he has promised us. The only way that doesn't happen is if we stop and give up... so let's continue with him, walking in his way and fearing the loss of our connection with him more than we fear anything else. As we trust and follow him, he will guide us to something much better than anything we have known.