Fear of God is the Death of Every Other Fear

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you” (Psalm 56:3).

The fear of death is one of the most common fears. There were a couple of times where I thought I might die.

• The first time was when I was regularly flying out to Uganda, Africa. There was a time period when there had been multiple killings and muggings of tourists on the road from the airport to the capital city of Kampala. American tourists and visitors were warned by the US to not take cabs or rides with people they didn’t know.
  
  I flew out and got onto the hotel shuttle bus. Instead of taking me to the hotel, the driver took me to a darkened field where three other Ugandans got on the bus. I thought to myself, “Well, this is it. If I’m going down, I’m not going down without a fight.”
  
  They ended up being workers at the hotel and all of us and the bus made it safely back to the hotel. But for a moment there, I really thought this was it.
  
• The second time was when the heart surgeon told me and Helen, “One in ten who have the procedure you are about to have die in the US. So, get your papers in order. Meet with a lawyer. Have a will.”

Both times, what surprised me was the lack of fear. I mean, I was nervous but there was no terror. I was not worried. I knew without a shadow of doubt what would happen when I drew my last breath here on earth. Death didn’t scare me because I knew who and what awaited me on the other side of death.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “The fear of God is the death of every other fear.” And, he’s absolutely right.

That we go through harrowing times? That’s normal.

That we face really difficult times? Nothing strange about that.

That we all die? That’s life.

And through it all, God is with us. God is our Father. God is our Savior.

There is never a there where God is not there.