Fear Not
“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand”
Isaiah 41:10
Fear is a very powerful emotion. At one time or another, all of us has experienced it. However, fear is not always a bad thing. If fear only happened to us when it was truly needed, such as when we were about to touch a hot stove or be hit by a moving car, then it would be nothing about which to worry. Yet, for many of us, fear enters our lives as an unwelcome guest, paralyzing us instead of motivating us.
Unfortunately, we can allow fear to define our lives in so many ways, such as fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear about the future and fear of death. However, more importantly, fear keeps us from living the kind of lives God desires for us by keeping us from placing our faith and trust in Him. Fear whispers to us that God is not really big enough to take care of us. It tells us that we are not really safe in God’s hands. Fear, as you and I usually experience it, is not a good thing.
Perhaps this is why the phrase “fear not” or “do not be afraid,” as we read in Isaiah, is one of the most frequent commands in all of Holy Scripture. C.S. Lewis once said, “People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.”[1] On this first Monday of 2022, may we remember that God really is big enough to take care of us. May we remember that we really are safe in God’s hands. May we remember that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has restored all things to Himself and therefore, we have nothing to fear.
[1] Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. New York: Macmillan, 1960, pg. 51.
