“My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments.”   Psalm 119:120

We can read words like this in the Psalms and perhaps think, “Well, that certainly sounds very ‘Old Testament.’ I’m not sure anyone trembles from fear of God’s judgments anymore, do they?”   We have a gentle and merciful Jesus; such sentiments are surely outdated, right? Jesus had this to say concerning worrying about those who could kill them for proclaiming the gospel, ²⁸ “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 How much more gravity should those words hold for us, knowing the person who spoke them IS the God who can do those things?

No, we need not live in constant fear of God. John assured us of God’s love for us in 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” But that is what the Psalmist is expressing, that while he desires to follow God’s will and keep himself away from the influence of the wicked, knowing the consequences of NOT doing so are so dire.

Perhaps another way to embrace the truth of what this Psalm expresses is, “I shudder to think what my life would be like today without Jesus.” Surely, we would all be much worse off if not for the intervention of Christ in our lives. As such, we would not want anything to do with our former lives, or the sinful errors of our past. We’d want any temptation or influence away from Jesus to be kept far from us; that those who desire to live their lives outside of God’s love and grace can keep their distance.

So today, let’s not forget all Jesus saved us from. Let’s reflect on how dreadful our lives truly would be without Him. Then perhaps the temptations of this world will lose some of their allure, since betraying the love and mercy of our God who has blessed us so bountifully would in turn cause our skin to crawl.

Prayer for Today:

Father, I thank You for all the mercy and grace You have shown to me. Jesus, You are my salvation and my hope. Keep my eyes firmly fixed on You so I may live out Your Father’s will. By Your Holy Spirit grant me the peace to know I am safe in Your care, and the conviction to keep myself focused on Your will.   Amen.