“Fear not.”

         Now, folks, that is a good King James phrase. A gentle, yet firm, command. “Fear not.” It is scattered throughout the Bible. In other versions it is usually rendered, “Do not be afraid.” Same thing, of course, but it lacks that assurance.

         When I was a boy and we were having a bad thunderstorm, I would often wake up to the sound of my sisters crying. I could hear them so well because they would be in my bed with me. They were both older than me, but for some reason they felt somewhat safer crying and screaming at the BOOM of thunder in my bed. (Years later our dog would leave Marsha’s side of the bed and come lay on the floor on my side during a storm. The cat would jump up and lay close beside me. Either I give off a safe vibe or critters, and sisters, figure I’ll get hit by lightning before they get hit.) After a few screams my father would appear in my door and yell, “YOU GIRLS SHUT THE @%%&@$#@ UP OR I’LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO SCREAM ABOUT!” If he had just said, “Fear not, my children” it would have been so much better.

         “Fear not.” It is comforting. It is nurturing. It is God-like. Anyone can say, “Don’t be afraid.” But God would say, “Fear not.”

         I don’t really know where this will go, but I think I am going to do a blog series on “Fear not.” We live in such frightening times. Mass killings, pandemic, threats of war…..we need some serious assurance. And, as Christians, we need to seek that assurance from the Lord. Not politicians (conservative or liberal), not religious leaders, not the media. The Lord. “Fear not.”

         Where did “Fear not” Start? Way, way back.

         Lot had taken his flocks and people and had separated himself from his uncle, Abraham. He had gone south to the vicinity of the twin towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. In chapter 14 of the book of Genesis the towns were attacked by raiders and the wealth was taken. Lot was also taken as a captive. Word got back to Abraham, who took his men and went to rescue Lot. A battle ensued and Abraham was successful. But it appears there was little rejoicing on Abraham’s part. Lot was his nephew and his apparent heir, for Abraham and Sarah, his wife, had no children. And Lot was not very bright, guided more by greed than the Spirit. Abraham was troubled by his lack of children. In Genesis 15 Abraham has a visitor and we have this (in the King James because it sounds so cool); After these things the Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the Word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness.

         So, the very first “Fear not” had to do with God’s promise to Abraham. It didn’t happen right away. It didn’t happen the way Abraham and Sarah thought it should. Abraham and Sarah got so tired of waiting for God to take care of it their way, they took matters into their own hands. That did not go well. However, when God makes a promise, He will make good on that promise. “Fear not.”

         I am so afraid the country is going down the wrong path! We need better people! Actually, we just need God. 2 Chronicles 7:14---If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. But, I DO NOT WANT TO WAIT!!! “Fear not.”

          I am so afraid of this virus! Psalm 30:10-12---Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me! O LORD, be my helper!" You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever! But, THE VIRUS!!! “Fear not.”

         I am so afraid I will not be able to handle this year financially! Would our wealthy Father not meet our need if we are faithful? Psalm 50:10-12---For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. But, WHAT WILL HAPPEN?!? “Fear not.”

         Part of not fearing has to do with our faithfulness to God. Not just faithfulness in the sense that we normally think of faithfulness, but the faithfulness that comes from turning everything over to Him. I know we say we do, but do we really? Think about it for a moment. When you pray about something and the result is something you wanted to happen, do you say God answered prayer? God answered prayer if it turned out in a way we didn’t want. If we say ‘God answered that prayer,’ we are really saying that we can’t really trust Him to answer all our prayers. “Oh, Pastor, that is silly! It is just a saying!” Maybe, but sayings come from a mind set.

         “Fear not.” In a matter of hours, I am going on a 300 mile trip. I will pray before I leave for safety. Because I prayed for safety doesn’t mean I can drive stupid. God wouldn’t honor that. But if I do my part and God does His, which He will, then it will go off as God sees fit.

         I am in His hands, regardless. “Fear not.”