“Fear not!” is the most repeated command in the Bible. How Many “Fear Nots” are There in the Bible? We all long for more of God’s peace in the midst of stress, danger, and uncertainty. We all long to “Fear not,” to be free to love and be loved. Maybe you fear what people think of you? Not having enough money… Public speaking, flying, being far from home, or spiders… Failure or rejection… Losing a loved one… Disease or pain… Death… These are common fears. Let His care, His power, and His glory wash over you and find that fear has an decreasingly small place in your soul.Most every day I talk to someone who is afraid or anxious (which is generalized fear). Fear not, for you do not just have a God who claims to love you, but One who has demonstrated that love at the cross. The reputation and glory of God is on display through our level of fear. Or He is saying that this world with troubles filled can actually undo us, and not just threaten to. Or we are saying that He is not powerful enough to keep us in Him. What are we saying about Him if we live in a state of fear? We are saying that the God we claim to serve, the One we claim sent His Son to die for us, actually does not love us enough to keep us from ultimate harm. Stop and think about how our fear reflects on the character of God. He commands that we not fear because He is concerned with His own glory. But there is another even more important element at play here. It’s about our well-being, and about our spiritual transformation. It’s true that part of God’s desire for His people to not live in fear is about us. Because He is concerned with His own glory. It is, then, increasingly difficult to be afraid when our eyes are fixed on Him.ģ. As we are being transformed into the image of Christ, our focus is less and less on ourselves and more and more on the greatness of Jesus. In Christ, our tastes are being transformed. That transformation does not take a physical form (at least not yet), but it does affect every other part of us. God is transforming us, from glory to glory, into the image of Christ. “I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.” John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace and a former captain of a slave ship, reflected on this spiritual change God was bringing to him: God also tells you to “fear not” because He is transforming you. God has loved us completely and fully in the gospel. So, if we as sinful fathers, do not want our children to be afraid, how much more must our Heavenly Father? Not only that, but unlike us, our Heavenly Father can do much more than whisper assurances about fear He can actually and completely guard the hearts and souls of all His children. My love is woefully inadequate and incomplete compared with His great love. I, like any father, am just a shadow of the true Father. And in my love, I do not want them to be afraid. I think about all the times as a father I’ve cracked the closet door with the light on all the times I’ve tested smoke alarms so my daughter can know they work all the times we have fast forwarded through scary movie trailers on television I have done these things because I love my children. Let me briefly suggest three reasons for you: 1:7).Įver wondered why, though? Why is this commanded repeated so often? Why is God so concerned that fear is removed from the hearts of His people? God does not want us to live in fear indeed this is part of the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives:įor God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment (2 Tim. It seems that God is very concerned about fear in His people – specifically, He is concerned with removing it from them. The words echo through the psalms as a means of encouragement during worship. He said it to Joshua as he prepared to take the reigns of leadership from Moses. He said it to His people as they looked at the odds stacked against them in the Promised Land. He said it to Abram when Abram wondered when he would see his promised heir. It’s a refrain that echoes over and over again in the pages of Scripture, a command given by God to His people.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |