Psalms 49:5-6
Why should I fear in times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
those who trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
"The fear of man is a snare!!" These are the words of Solomon, in the following Proverb:
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Most people would not admit that they "fear" anyone. But, the fear of man is a staple in the lives of most people. We don't stand up for what we think, often, because we fear man. We can go to work and listen to a conversation about abortion or some other controversial issue and not say a word simply because we fear what others might say about our beliefs. We often give in to the masses because we don't want to be the one standing up as the others are sitting down. In Psalm 49 we see the writer asking the question, "Why should I fear in times of trouble ...". Since the writer goes on immediately talk about those who have wealth and who trust completely and only in the wealth, we would infer that the writer is asking, "why should I fear in times of trouble when the wealthy tries to cheat me and use his power over me." The rich often wield their money through power and use it to exploit those less fortunate. The writer knows (and later in the Psalm states it) that God is ultimately in power and control. Even though the rich think they run the world, it is God who is in charge. We don't have to fear man. When we trust in God the fear of man is laid aside. When we realize that God loves us, we know that He will NEVER allow anything to come into our lives He hasn't planned or won't use to accomplish His great plan for our lives and for His plan for the world. Notice what John says about fear:
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.
When we know that God loves us we don't need to fear the wealthy and the powerful. Even though they continue to corrupt the world and cheat those around them (according to the above Psalm that is often a condition of the wealthy), God will not allow them to hurt us or harm us. God's love for us allows the writer to ask, "why should I fear in times of trouble." The truth is, when we fear we forget that God loves us. We believe He no longer has our best interest and the best interest of His plan for us in mind by allowing this circumstance to come into our lives. When we believe in His perfect love for us, we have no reason to fear anyone or anything.
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