True Safety

Read Proverbs 29

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.

Proverbs 29:25

A phobia is defined as an irrational fear that controls a person’s daily life. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Claustrophobia is the fear of being confined in small spaces.

The Bible describes what it is like to have an irrational fear of other people. It is a trap—a paralyzing situation where we are no longer in control of our lives. It is one thing to have appropriate concern for a person’s opinion. It is quite another to cower before it. The fear of disappointing people can lead churches to abandon new visions for ministry. Leaders may compromise their own convictions due to an irrational fear of hurting someone’s feelings. Believers may remain stunted in their spiritual growth, afraid of living out their faith at work or at home. Imagine an animal that deliberately runs into a trap, thinking it will find safety there. Of course, it finds the very opposite. In the same way, we cannot find safety through our attempts to please others. We must please God and trust him alone—then we find true safety.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Let your fear of God overcome your fear of people.

Today, Lord, I will trust in you. Teach me what it means to find security in you alone.