“In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:26-27)
Are you afraid? I often fall into fear when I turn on the news and see cities rioting over grievances that seem to multiply faster than they’re resolved. Hearing stories like the one about two teenagers—16-year-old Ja’ymier Davis and his 15-year-old girlfriend—who were charged with first-degree murder and other felonies after allegedly carrying out a targeted shooting spree in East St. Louis, Illinois, that killed five family members (ages 21–74) and wounded two others, based on a “hit list” of relatives who had tried to separate the young couple, can cause fear. Addiction and despair are seeping into neighborhoods that used to be safe. Politicians we trusted to tell us the truth getting caught in lie after lie. And…we’re left wondering if there’s a single voice in the media or in office who isn’t spinning something for their own advantage. From a common-sense perspective, the cultural and political chaos gives us plenty of reasons to be afraid of what’s next.
But the root of the problem is not cultural or political—it is spiritual.
And the amazing hope we have is this: Jesus already won that war. Thus, if we are born again, we are “in Christ,” and we have the ability to view all of this chaos from His perspective. Not by ignoring it. Not by pretending it isn’t real or serious. But by seeing it from God’s vantage point instead of from ground level, where everything looks hopeless.
God’s perspective is only available to us under one condition. God has to be the One we worship and respect above every other person and every other voice. He has to be seated at the top of our lives—not just our church lives, but our political opinions, our homes, our work, our entertainment choices, and ESPECIALLY our thought lives. When His nature—His righteousness, His justice, and His love—is what shapes us most, that’s the evidence that we’re actually living in what the Bible describes as “the fear of the Lord.” This is not a cowering fear, but a reverent one. The kind that says, “Lord, You are worthy to be the center of every area of my life.” This is what builds the “strong confidence” in Proverbs 14:26.
“Strong confidence” is established when our respect for God is more central in every part of our lives than the fear-causing circumstances around us.
Strong confidence is never found in the next election. Our greatest refuge doesn’t depend on which political party holds power or whether the culture around us is unraveling. That confidence becomes ours the moment we make God the One we respect and worship most. He must dominate our thoughts, words, and actions. He must be the center of all we love. Then…we will not be afraid of the chaos.
“He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established; He will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.” (Psalm 112:7-8)
Notice what these verses say. Not that the evil tidings stop coming. They don’t. Bad news keeps arriving, headline after headline, and the psalmist doesn’t pretend otherwise. What changes is the steadiness underneath it. A heart established in the Lord doesn’t rise and fall with every report of war or chaos. This is why we don’t have to despair over failing leaders or a culture that seems to be sliding into darkness.
Our hope was never supposed to rest on them anyway.
Our hope rests in the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One who has already promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) God is not wringing His hands over the state of the world. He is not surprised, not anxious, and not scrambling for a plan. He is sovereign over every riot, every scandal, and every despairing headline we scroll past. And He speaks the same steadying word to us that He spoke to Israel through Isaiah.
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
Our lives absolutely can make a difference in the middle of all the chaos and darkness!
In fact, we are commanded to be the light of the world. Not because we have the perfect political solution or the right cultural strategy, but because our hope is anchored in Jesus, and that anchor holds steady no matter how violently the water is churning. Our flesh will always want to panic, to doom-scroll, and to let anxiety take the wheel. But that anxiety and panic do NOT have to control us. Born again believers possess the very power of the resurrection!
So, how do we actually grow in this? How do we move from an anxious, headline-driven existence into a genuine, healthy fear of the Lord that gives us that strong confidence Solomon promised?
The Bible tells us exactly how—and I know these truths work!
We have to spend consistent time in God’s Word, not just skimming it, but letting it recalibrate what we actually believe about God. Fear of the Lord grows in proportion to how well we know Him, and we know Him in great specificity by reading and memorizing His Word. It is His love letter to us.
We have to guard what we let shape our thought lives. If we’re feeding on outrage and doom-scrolling more than we’re feeding on truth, our perspective will stay stuck at ground level no matter how much theology we know.
We have to practice actually submitting decisions to Him in every area of our lives—our finances, our politics, our relationships, and our schedules, rather than just giving Him a vote among many influences. Submission is where reverence becomes real instead of theoretical. It is where what we fear most becomes—not the world culture and the chaos—but losing our strong sense of the presence of God.
We have to stay in honest prayer, not polished or performative, but the kind where we admit when we’re afraid and ask Him to recalibrate our hearts. We need to be in constant communication with Him all day long because He is our best Friend!
And we have to stay connected to other believers who will remind us of the truth when the culture is loud and our own hearts start to waver. This is why a deep and abiding commitment to a true New Testament church is so important!
None of this is complicated, but it requires consistency. And consistency is what turns the fear of the Lord from a phrase we know into a refuge we actually live in.
Prayer:
Lord, I confess that there are days when the headlines make me afraid, and I let my thoughts spiral toward panic instead of resting in You. I want You to be the One I respect above every voice, every leader, and every trend in this culture. Teach me to fear You rightly, so that my confidence stays strong even when everything around me is crazy. Thank You for Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me walk in the fountain of life You’ve given me, and keep me far from the snares of despair. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
