“The Lord spoke: ‘Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that flow gently, and rejoice over Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise over all its channels and go over its banks…’
“Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
speak a word, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.
“For the Lord spoke with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: ‘Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary…’
“And when they say to you, ‘Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,’ should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” Isaiah 8:5-7,10-14,19-20
The Lord issued a strong message for those who refused His loving Lordship. Rather than fearing God’s ordered consequences, purporting conspiracies, and spreading wickedness, however threatening they might be, God’s people were called to a higher fear. As the One in ultimate charge, all enemy hordes, quaking nations, and blistering threats come through the Lord’s supreme authority. Nothing can snatch or shake those He holds and keeps. (Isaiah 9:6-7; 26:3; Zechariah 2:8; John 10:28-29)
Refusing God’s gentle waters of peace, we wind up mental and physical energy on supposing and hypotheticals, and bear the consequences of misdirected emotions. We fret at things over which we have no control, or a future we cannot determine, like uncertain finances, national and world issues. We convolute His wider plans because we fixate on minutae. We turn from His truth to seek solace in false sooth-sayers. If we soaked in the flow of God’s word and gratitude for what He’s done, our faith would so swell to crowd out fear. How prudently do we tend our focus and steer our fear? (Isaiah 10:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:2-4)
With all that shudders and threatens in the nations and our lives, what if we garnered our senses and attention toward the holy God? What if we bowed before His righteousness, word, judgment, and reprisal for disobedience? How might we not only know Him better, but humbled, be in a better frame of mind? How can we better ground ourselves on His sure foundation and stability for our times? What freedom and delight our days would know if we feared Him alone! (Isaiah 33:6; Matthew 6:26-34; 1 Peter 5:7)
What presently agitates? Lurking doom, inadequacy, failure, shame, world terrors? Do we fear man and circumstances that churl and choke, or God, and wait for Him in hope? Imagine the peace we could spread, the hope we could instill, the ways we could magnify God before others if He was our only fear. (Exodus 20:20; Isaiah 8:17; Psalm 46:1-4; 121:1-4)
Lord, teach me to fear You alone, and to trust Your wisdom, ways, goodness, and ends. (Isaiah 12:2)
As the rain and snow 