Scripture readings
He will not be afraid of
evil tidings.
He who
dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the
wicked when it comes; For the Lord will
be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught. The Lord is my
light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid?
Whenever I
am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have
put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?
And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the
messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and
spread it before the Lord
And we know that all things work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Psalm 112:7 - Ps 91:1-2 - Prov 3:25-26; Ps 27:1 -
Ps 56:3-4 - 2 Kings 19:14 - Rom 8:28-29.
Suggested additional reading:
2 Kings 19 14-20; 32-34
Meditation
adapted from C.H. Spurgeon's 'Morning & Evening'
He
will not be afraid of evil tidings. -
Psalm 112:7
Christian, you don't need to be frightened by bad news. If you
are, what's the difference between you the unbelieving world? Others
don't have your God to fly to; they have never proved His faithfulness as you
have, and it is no wonder if they are bowed down with alarm and cowed with
fear. But you profess to be of another spirit; you have been born again unto a
lively hope, and your heart lives
in heaven and not on earthly
things. Now, if you are seen to be distracted as other men,
what is the value of that grace which you profess to have received? Where is
the dignity of that new nature which you claim to possess?
Again,
if you are be filled with alarm, as others are, you are in danger of being
led into the sins so common to others under testing circumstances. When
unbelievers are suddenly confronted with bad news they often react against God.
They murmur, and think that God deals unjustly with them. Will you fall into
that same sin? Will you provoke the Lord as they do? Moreover, unconverted men
often run to wrong means in order to escape from difficulties, and you will be
sure to do the same if your mind gives in to the present pressure. 'Rest in
the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.' (Ps 37:7) Your wisest course is to do as Moses did at
the Red Sea, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.” For if you give
way to fear when you hear bad news, you will be unable to meet the trouble with
that calm composure which nerves for duty, and sustains under adversity.
How
can you glorify God if you play the coward? Saints have often sung God’s high
praises in the fires, but will your doubting and desponding, as if you had no
one to help you, magnify the Most High? Then take courage, and relying in sure
confidence upon the faithfulness of your covenant God, “let not your heart
be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John
14:1)
Prayer
O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the
cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have
made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O
Lord, and see;
O Lord our God, I pray,
save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are
the Lord God, You alone.
2 Kings 19: 15-16;19
