Maybe you’ve seen these two words printed on a popular brand of T-shirt or you even own one. When I first noticed the shirts , I asked myself, whether conquering our fears is as easy as wearing one of them.
If we are honest, we are daily faced with a number of fears. Fear of failure may keep us from ever attempting something great. Fear of rejection may keep a man from asking the love of his life for her hand. You might never get to the destination of your dream vacation because you are fearful of flying. Of course, there are many more: fear of heights, fear of the unknown, fear of loosing a loved one, fears rooted in superstitions or taboos, like walking under a ladder or Friday the 13th, just to name a few.
How we handle or avoid fears will determine to a great deal the quality of our life. I wondered whether God’s Word has anything to say about the subject of fear. Well, it is said that there are 365 “fear not” words in the Bible, one for every day! Our maker seems to be aware, that fear is a very human problem. The prophet Isaiah speaks the word of God, saying: “Fear not”! The encouraging part is that he doesn’t just tell us not to be afraid, but gives us solid reasons why. He also lets us know what to do when we are paralyzed by fear.
- He instructs us to fear not because we who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior have been redeemed. We have been bought by Jesus, who paid for us with his own life.
- He calls us by name—which means he knows us intimately.
- He tells us that we are his own; we now belong to him—and he will take care of his property!
God does not promise us a smooth road without any trouble or potential for fear. What he does is giving us the assurance of his presence in every circumstance. The prophet Isaiah continues his message from God with the words: “When (not if) we walk through the water, we will not be drowned” and “When (not if) we walk through fire, we will not be burned”!
When fears want to envelop us like darkness, let us face them and reach for our heavenly father, who promised to take our hand and help us!
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