Today Daily Devotional

The whole Bible is about Jesus. This is true of the New Testament, which tells the story of Jesus’ coming to live with us. And it is true of the Old Testament, written long before Jesus was born.

The New Testament and the Old Testament make up the whole Bible, and together they tell the story of God’s love for the world. That love comes into clearest focus in Jesus: through his life and work, through his death and resurrection.

On the first Easter Sunday, Jesus appeared to his disciples. They were still reeling from his death two days earlier. But now here he was—standing in their midst! They had no idea how to puzzle it all out. So Jesus helped them see how his story fulfills the Old Testament (the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms).

Sometimes we think this fulfillment is only about things in the story of Jesus that were predicted in the Old Testament. But there is much more to it. Fulfillment is especially about words and events in the Old Testament finding a more profound meaning in the story of Jesus.

This month we will notice how the story of Jesus fills out the meaning of various portions of the Psalms—because the whole Bible has something to say about Jesus.

I was on a hike a few years ago with my kids and some other family members. It was late in the day, and although it was early summer, the weather was questionable where we were, high up in the mountains.

We were quite a ways into our hike when the wind suddenly picked up, clouds rolled in, and the temperature dropped. I was kicking myself because I had not packed as I normally would for a hike like this. We didn’t have food, warm clothing, a fire starter, or any critical supplies. I was scared. But just when things began looking ­really bad, the storm shifted, and most of it passed by. Later the sun even came out. I’ve rarely been happier to see the sun.

Jesus’ disciples were out on the lake at night. The wind and waves had picked up considerably since the disciples had left the shore. No doubt a little bit of worry had settled over them. And then they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. They didn’t recognize him at first, and they were terrified, thinking he was a ghost. But then he called out and assured them that it was him and not to worry. When Jesus shows up, our worries become less important.

There are so many things to be afraid of and to worry about in life. But when Jesus comes into our lives, all of those things can take a back seat. He can push them away and help us be rid of them. Look for Jesus in your life. Ask him to take away your fears.

I can remember a time in college when everything was going really well. I had lots of friends, I was getting good grades, I was having fun, I was involved in a great church, my relationship with God was thriving, and I even enjoyed my part-time job. Everything was going great, and I was extremely happy.

When everything is going well, it is relatively easy to honor and praise God and follow him wholeheartedly—to fear God in the biblical sense of being devoted to him.

In Job 1, Satan claimed it was easy for Job to fear God because his life was going so well. Job had 10 children, thousands of animals, and many servants. Job was a great man whose kids threw great parties. He would even offer sacrifices just in case someone in his household sinned against God. So of course Job feared God, Satan said. His life was great!

As the story of Job continued, however, all those blessings were taken from him. His family, his possessions, and even his health were taken away. Yet Job still feared God. Our devotion to God shouldn’t be dependent on how well life is going for us. If we fear God only because life is good, then we really don’t fear God at all.

As you think about your devotion to God, make sure you fear God because of who he is and not because he can give you great blessings.

When I was in high school, my dad died of cancer. That was a very frightening and lonely time for me. I had lots of questions about God and death. How could God take away my dad when I was only 14? How could he let someone who was a pastor who loved people and freely shared the gospel suffer and die? I was angry with God and was sure that he didn’t care about me. Those feelings filled me with a lot of hopelessness and fear.

As Jesus talks to his disciples, he addresses some of the same questions I had when I was 14. He talks about sparrows—a common and inexpensive bird. Jesus assures his followers that if God cares about them—and, yes, he does!—then of course God cares much more about each one of us. So Jesus reminds his disciples, “Do not be afraid. . . .”

Instead of fearing anyone or anything on this earth that might hurt us, he says, the only one we should fear is God himself. After all, God holds every part of our lives in his hands. That might seem frighten­ing, but in the end, when God’s control is paired with his care for us, we don’t need to be afraid that God will forget about us. God’s love for us is greater than we can imagine. No matter what happens, God loves us and calls us to worship and adore him because of that love.

A local congregation was blessed by great financial giving throughout a difficult time. The leaders of this church felt so blessed by God through their members that they knew they had to reach out and share this blessing with the community around them. They began calling local homeless shelters and other ministries and organizations that they thought might need assistance. And soon several organizations were able to share those blessings with people in need—to the glory of God.

Being blessed with financial resources or good health isn’t a guarantee from following God. He never promises that we will live healthy and wealthy lives on this earth. But when God does bless us, we are called to share what God has given us and bless others. When God first called Abraham, God promised to bless him, saying that through him all the peoples on earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3).

Psalm 67 is a prayer asking God to bless his people so that through that blessing, the other nations of the world would be blessed with God’s salvation and fear him. In this setting, fear is described in terms of knowledge, worship, and adoration of God. This prayer asks God to bless his people so that all people may come to know God and worship him for all he has done. Let that be our prayer today as well.

The world around us fears all sorts of things. I was reading a few articles about what people fear the most. Things like heights, snakes, and the dentist top a lot of people’s lists. But so do things like economic disaster, wars, terrorism, and natural disasters. These are things that the world fears.

But the Lord tells Isaiah not to fear what people fear when they don’t live in tune with God. While the rest of the world might be afraid of upheaval and destruction, Isaiah isn’t supposed to fear such things. He isn’t supposed to be afraid of conspiracies or of being physically hurt. He isn’t supposed to be afraid of being too bold or saying the wrong thing. He isn’t supposed to be afraid of what the future might hold. He isn’t even supposed to be afraid of not having a next meal or warm clothes or a place to sleep. While the world might fear and worry over those things, Isaiah isn’t supposed to.

Isaiah is supposed to fear only God. Everything else is in God’s control. He will take care of all things. All that Isaiah has to do is obey God and fear him—that is, honor, worship, and be in awe of him.

We are called to do the same. There are many things to fear in this world. But God doesn’t want us to fear any of them. He wants us to fear only him. So in the fear of the Lord, worship and honor him today in everything you do.

One of the most exciting outings for a church youth group is a trip to an amusement park. I remember taking a group on a trip like that when I lived in Michigan. I’m not a big fan of roller coasters, but I climbed onto one called the Top Thrill Dragster. That roller coaster went from 0 to 120 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and would take its riders 420 feet up in the air. It was an amazing ride that I never want to go on again. It was exhilarating and frightening at the same time.

As the women left the tomb on the morning that Jesus had risen from the dead, they were filled with both fear and joy. They had come to the tomb looking for Jesus’ body, and instead they met a mighty angel, who said that Jesus had risen. Seeing the angel and not finding what they were figuring on made them afraid. But hearing that their friend, teacher, and Lord had risen from the dead gave them joy.

Fear can often be accompanied by joy. Our lives can be filled with fear about all sorts of things—fear about our health, our jobs, or our future. But our lives can be filled with joy about the same things as well—our health, careers, and future. We can be both afraid of our future and joyful about our future possibilities. The next time fear overtakes you, ask God to help you find a reason to be joyful as well. Our future is in his hands.

I remember when I fell in love with the woman who became my wife. We were in college, we had been getting to know each other for a while, and then we started dating. I knew I was in love when I realized I wasn’t afraid to be myself in front of her anymore. I could share my deepest thoughts with her about my career, my future goals, my plans, my faith, and my family. Although sharing those things made me vulnerable, I knew that she wouldn’t try to use any of that against me. I wasn’t afraid that she would run away or leave when I was sad or angry or frustrated or goofy. Being loved and being in love took away my fears.

Now, if being in love with my wife made my fear go away, how much more should knowing the love of God take my fear away! “God is love,” says the apostle John in our Bible reading for today, and “there is no fear in love.”

As we grow more and more in our relationship with God, he drives out the fear in our lives. And while our fear may never go away completely until we are with God in heaven, his love can take away our fear even in the darkest valleys we might pass through (Psalm 23:4).

The next time you are afraid, take your fear to God. Let his love wash over you. Ask him to take your fear away and to replace it with his perfect love.

A pastor friend of mine got up in front of his congregation one morning and spoke boldly. A lot had been going on in the world during the previous weeks and months. He was a bit anxious about what he felt he had to say—but he knew it was the truth, and he knew it had to be said.

What he shared that morning was the good-news message of Jesus. That may sound simple and expected, but sometimes it is not easy to share that message. He reminded everyone that they needed to love one another as Christ loves us. Be people of truth—God’s truth—he said. Don’t hate others. Don’t hurt others.

Speaking out boldly for what you know is right can be frightening. Even if it is right, it might not be popular. In fact, the gospel message of Jesus ­often isn’t popular. It can seem foolish and countercultural. Jesus himself was crucified for it, and many of his followers were persecuted, put in jail, or killed for it as well. Even though speaking boldly can be frightening, the truth can’t be hidden.

Paul was preaching the Word of God, and people were upset with him. But God encouraged him to continue speaking and not to be afraid.

That same encouragement is for us today too. When we have the opportunity to speak the truth of the gospel, we must do so boldly. Even if we are attacked for it, God will be with us.

My kids and I like to watch a TV show about unsolved mysteries and hunts for lost treasure around the world. Sometimes it’s just fascinating to learn about faraway places and people and events we have never heard about before. But sometimes the unknown can be a bit frighten­ing. As the host of the show crawls through tight tunnels and scrambles through ancient ruins, the unknown can be a little scary.

James says that we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. That’s true, of course. The future is wholly unknown to us. We can plan and think that we know what we will do, but in the end, all of our planning and hoping about the future doesn’t promise anything. Even the best laid plans can fall apart. We simply don’t know what the future will hold. It is out of our control, and that can be frightful.

But what isn’t frightening is knowing that God is in control. As Jesus says when he teaches his disciples how to pray—and James echoes that here—“God’s will be done.” And God’s will will be done. So whatever fear you might have about the ­future, you can be assured that God not only knows what will happen but is also in control of it.

God holds us in his hands. We don’t need to fear the ­unknown.