Fear Not

Again and again in the scriptures related to the Christmas story we see the angels coming with the message, "Fear Not!" That would be a good intro for a celestial being popping up in your midst.  Do you think after their initial angel encounters Mary, Joseph and the shepherds looked forward to more instructive visits?  Our God encounters tend to send us on mission that require selflessness, but bring great blessing.

The other night we had the privilege of sharing a time of worship and dinner with several missionaries. People who gladly give up their plans and comforts to take the gospels to a lost world.  One gentleman left the US after college and has spent the past 30 years with his foreign wife and 5 children serving the Lord in the Middle East.  Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Places "fear not" is probably clung to daily.  His views of what has happened to the church in America are chilling.

Have you watched A Charlie Brown Christmas this year where Charlie Brown asks, “Can anyone tell me what Christmas is all about?”  Linus steps out onto the stage and quotes Luke 2:8-14.  It says,

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Linus’ big stage moment comes with the realization the words “Do not be afraid,” allow him to stop clinging to his blanket, the thing thing that can only bring him temporary comfort, peace and hope and instead look to the extravagant love of God as seen in the birth of the little baby Jesus.  God does not want us to live in fear.

This month I've watched people be thrown into fearful states day after day due to medical diagnosis and unexpected death for loved ones.  There are so many categories of fear.  Fear of being alone, fear of not being provided for, fear of pain, fear of cruelty, fear of rejection, fear of losing freedoms, or fear of not being loved.  Look back at that list and find peace in knowing God is the overcomer of all those fears.

A "fear not" life takes faith, practice and practice to live out. It takes sitting with people while they get their chemo, breaking bread with others and listening to how they've survived day to day living in the bomb laden Middle East, pushing a wheel chair up a ramp and helping a wife transfer her paralyzed husband into a bed, or giving up an afternoon so a single parent can have 4 hours to themselves. It takes realizing God is in control and has our days ordained.

Gotquestions.org has this well written peace on "fear not".   Where in your life if God calling you to put aside your fears?

"The Bible often says things like, “Do not fear,” “Do not be afraid,” and “Fear not.” Of course, these commands do not contradict the command to “fear God” (1 Peter 2:17). The fear of God keeps us from sin; the fear of man leads to sin, and that is what we are to avoid: “The fear of man brings a snare” (Proverbs 29:25, NKJV). Also, the biblical command do not fear does not negate the need for prudence and caution in this world. We are not to be cavalier but prayerful in the face of danger.

The fear that the Bible tells us to avoid is concern mixed with anxiety or dread; it is the feeling of alarm we have when we expect trouble or danger. Followers of Christ are not to live in a state of anxiety. We have higher expectations than simply anticipating trouble. In fact, we have the means to rise above fear: “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV).

God’s command to “fear not” is applied in several ways in the Bible. For example, the fear of what other people think should never prevent us from obeying the Lord (see 1 Samuel 15:24; John 9:22). We should not fear lacking provision in this world (Luke 12:6–7). We are not to fear the plans of the wicked, even when they rise to power (Psalm 37:1–2, 9–17, 35–38).

When the Bible tells us, “Do not fear,” it means we are not to allow anxiety or fretfulness to rule our lives or take root in our hearts. We are not to be people of panic. We are to be people of faith.

Having been justified by God, we need not fear divine condemnation (Romans 8:1). Having been chosen by God, we need not fear His rejection (Ephesians 1:4–6; Luke 12:32; Jude 1:24). With Christ as our Shepherd, we need not fear the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4). With the Maker of heaven and earth watching over us, we need not fear anything (Psalm 121).

Psalm 91 speaks of the one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High” and who says of God, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (verses 1–2). Those who trust in God can live fearlessly: “You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you” (verses 5–7). There is a direct correlation between faith and the confidence to face the dangers of life: “If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent” (verses 9–10). We rest in God’s promise: “‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble’” (verses 14–15).

Matthew’s account of the resurrection of Christ presents two very different results of that miracle. When the angel descended to the tomb and rolled the stone away, “the guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint” (Matthew 28:4, NLT). The angel let them lie there. But later, the angel spoke to the women who visited the tomb: “Don’t be afraid! . . . I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead” (verses 5–6, NLT). With one group, God takes away their fear; with the other group, He allows fear to overwhelm them. The difference was one of belief versus unbelief."

The Song Hope of Israel Chris Tomlin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfGouu-tqo8