I have been thinking about my most recent test results and the fact that there is still a small nodule or tumor that just refuses to go away. I know that God could have caused that thing to just disappear the first time I asked Him to heal me, but that is not what He has chosen to do.
So, I think about the Apostle Paul and his famous "thorn in the flesh." We don't really know what that "thorn" was, but we know that Paul, who had such a close relationship with the Lord that he was able to write most of the New Testament, prayed to God three times requesting that He remove it. God's response was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." (II Cor. 12:7-9)
I have been asking the Lord if this health problem could be something I need in order to remind me that my life is in His hands, and that life on this Earth is brief, and I must make the most of the time I do have here. I am reminded that in comparison to eternity my life here is just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. James 4:14
Now, you may be wondering why I titled this post as I did. In my circumstances it would be easy for me to succumb to fear; fear of cancer, fear of death, fear of my circumstances, etc., but what is of fear cannot be of faith. See Hebrews 11:1. The two states of mind cannot continue to coexist, for one will eventually win out over the other.
I choose to fear the Lord, and have faith in Him. My life is in His hands. He knows me and the plans that He has for my life, and if I am trusting and believing in Him, then I will be walking by faith and not succumb to fear. I am reminded of Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." I thank the Lord for every day that He gives me here so that I can prepare for the wonderful day when I see Him face to face.
"The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?" Psalm 27:1
I choose to walk by faith and fear the Lord.
