Be Afraid

March 15, 2024

”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 

And lean not on your own understanding; 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

And He shall direct your paths. 

Do not be wise in your own eyes; 

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.“ —Proverbs 3:5-7 

The last phrase of these verses is probably the hardest of all to actually do: “Depart from evil.” We often think it’s easy to do the right thing, but is it easy to forgive someone who has hurt you, or to stand up for what you know in your heart to be right when all your friends are on the other side? I can tell you from my own experience that departing from evil can be very difficult. There are times I don’t want to do the right thing. 

That’s where the first part of that last sentence comes in: “Fear the Lord.” People often say that fearing God means respecting him, but let me tell you the truth: Sometimes I do the right thing because I’m afraid of the consequences of doing the wrong thing. Numbers 32:23 says, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” The best way to depart from evil is to fear the Lord; what he thinks, and how he might respond if you do the wrong thing.