Fear is NOT a word on my tongue because God is God!

Paul and Lana Duda

Fear is NOT a word on my tongue because God is God! by Paul Duda

Psalm 139:1-6   "O Lord, You have searched me and known me.   You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.   You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.   For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.   You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it."

This is a Psalm of David the great warrior king of Israel.   One whom God called and anointed to lead His people.   For those who carry the mantel of leadership this psalm speaks to our lives.  I have heard the psalm used to preach a message of repentance and examination by God.   It is true that God does know our hearts in and out and He knows our future and yet He still called us.

The psalm comforted David's heart because despite his shortcomings and failures as a man, he knew God loved him and called him.   God knows my sitting down and my standing up.  Every thought that I think, God understands, even when I am far off.   When I feel apart from God or in a dark place, God knows my path and is acquainted with all of my ways.  God knows it all even when I don't see or fully understand.

Sometimes I think we are hard on ourselves, second guessing our own actions, attitudes or motivations, fearful that there is some carnal motivation in our lives and ministries.    It is true we still live in a body of flesh with its desires and wants, but the direction and calling of our lives is fixed on Him.

Don't judge yourselves harshly but be sure that God know all!   Even the apostle Paul said he didn't judge himself.  Even though his conscience was clear, that did not mean he was without sin.   We don't know the forces that work against us, the demonic beings that seek to destroy or deter us from fulfilling His will.  How often as a missionary have I been grateful for the faithful intercessors that have called our names before God pleading for help and protection in the face of enemy hordes   Now that's something to be thankful for.

David borrows a picture from warfare when the king is surrounded in front and in back by faithful soldiers to protect their leader.    Ready to give their lives, they advance in front and guard the rear so that the king may move forward to victory.   What a wonderful God we serve.   He not only called us to do something we could never do on our own but He has hedged us in, in front and behind.   He is our defense and our rear guard.   As I look back at my life, there is so much to be thankful for, surely God has made my lines, my path to fall in pleasant places.

That is not to say that is has been without trials and heaviness of heart at times.   I know that pain of a disabled son and its impact on our family.   I understand feeling backed into a corner making decisions I would never have made voluntarily and directive forces beyond my ability to control.   One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 31:14-15.   I like David have said "You are my God" and I trust in you.

We have such a privilege to be not only sons of God but called to serve.   The declaration "you are my God" is emotionally deep and wide for my wife and I.   We choose to trust Him in the good and the bad.   "Our times are in your hands," as David said.   I have come to believe that this means my minutes, hours, days, weeks, years and my end are all under His control.  When we felt we would die from exhaustion or hurt, God was there sustaining us.   When were rejoicing in the tremendous victories God gave us in Cuba, we saw His satisfaction and felt the warmth of His smile.

Finally in the last two verses of this passage we see that our Lord God knows all.  God knows us completely, even our thoughts.   God has us hedged in!   He has been not only our protection but also for our defense, both in front and behind us so.   We will not run away.   He is our retreat.   When the pressure or the pain gets too severe, we may be tempted to fled from Him but in His love, He has hedged us in!  This knowledge is too wonderful for us.

David had a hard time comprehending the goodness of his God and all that God had done for him.   It was too high, too marvelous, too exhaustive for his finite brain to understand.   As I reflect on this, my faith tell me it's all true!  

He is everything.   He is responsible for us as we carry out His plan.   He guards us.   He protects us.   He anoints us.   He blesses us and even protects us from ourselves.

He give great victories and orchestrates "our times" and carries us through to greater victories.

In light of His greatness, fear is NOT a word on our tongues because God is indeed God!

With love and respect, Paul Duda