Have no Fear

            I’ve never counted myself, and I don’t plan to do so now. But I have read it in enough places, and by trusted people, that I believe it to be true. “Fear not,” or “Do not be afraid,” is found in the Bible 366 times.  That would be one time for every day of the year, even on Leap Year.  Again, I haven’t counted. But I believe it. I mean, wouldn’t that be just like God?

            Why does the Lord have to remind us not to be afraid? Well, the most obvious answer is that there are things in our world that are fearful.  Certainly death itself is one of those things. Words like cancer stir up fear. Even words like inflation and economic upheaval cause us to be afraid. 

            Some good things frighten us. The birth of a baby. Starting a new job. Moving to a new home. These are all reasons to rejoice, and yet they cause fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of simply not knowing what to do.

            So, how does one “not fear?”  I think of a handful of times when those words appear in the Bible. In the book of Luke the angel appeared to Mary and then to the shepherds, and the first words he said were, “Fear not.” And my first thought is, “Well, that’s too late.” The sight of an angel would have been frightening, to say the least. 

            Here’s the thing. God knows you better than you know yourself. He created you. He knows what is best for you. When you choose to follow Him there is no need to fear. That does not mean that life will be easy.

            In his most famous poem King David wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”  David admits that the journey is challenging. Evil is surely there. But we need not fear it. Why? The next line says, “For you are with me.” And that is enough.

            I can give you 1000 reasons to be afraid. I can only give you one not to be afraid.

But that one trumps all the others. “For you are with me.” God is with you. You need not be afraid. God is with you. You can trust Him.  Life is scary. God is bigger than life.

            “Fear not!”