Whom shall I fear - The second treatment: experience the Divine love and the Divine containment

Because the love of God casts fear away: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 John 4: 18).

This is what made the Apostle Paul secure concerning all the circumstances of life, saying: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 35-39).

David faced many fears in his life. He lived many long years as a fugitive, chased, and hunted to be killed, to the point of saying: “LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me” (Psalm 3: 1).

And yet in spite of all this he says in Psalm 4: 8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

How do you lie down, David? How can you sleep, stretched out in the open and exposed, or spending the night in a cave?! There are many who lie down on their beds to sleep, and yet they can not sleep!

David explains the secret of his peace and secure sleep, saying: “For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”

David experienced the presence of the Lord and His accompaniment and His divine containment during his time of weakness and fear. Therefore, when he fled from his son Absalom, he was able to sing out: “I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me…I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around” (Psalm 3: 5, 6).

Dear brother, there are those who live in luxurious, fortified palaces, but they do not enjoy security. There are those who live in simple huts, but they know security and tranquility; because “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Therefore, in all the circumstances of your life, ask the Lord to let you experience His promise for little Benjamin, and for all of His loved ones: “The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders” (Deut 33: 12).

This second treatment is to experience the Divine love and the Divine containment. In the Prayer of Containment, "the Lord gathers me up," you experience three great things.

Firstly: you experience the accompaniment of the Lord, and His attendance and His presence in all the circumstances of your life. And you hear his voice, saying: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41: 10). And you will sing, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23: 4).

Secondly: you will experience God’s love and His compassion and care for you in the time of your fear. And when you say, “The LORD has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me,” you will hear His voice, saying to you: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me” (Isaiah 49: 14-16). And you will sing with the bride, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me” (Song. 2: 6).

Thirdly: you will experience the Lord’s authority, and His power and strong arm. When you sense your weakness and confusion, and your lack of means, you testify to the Lord’s promise: “Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him… He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Isaiah 40: 10, 11). And you will sing with the psalmist, “My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63: 8).

Magdy Samuel