Are We There Yet? Devotional by UnitedSample

TITLE: Not Afraid

LYRIC: ‘You mean just what You say when You say don't be afraid.’ - Not Afraid

SCRIPTURES:

• Joshua 1:9 NIV
• John 16:33 NIV
• Psalm 103:13-14 NLT

DEVOTIONAL:

The most frequent command in all of Scripture is a variation of the phrase “do not be afraid”. This should both encourage and intrigue us. On the one hand, it is reassuring in its own right that God kindly and consistently reminds us to not fear. On the other hand, the fact that God repeats this in Scripture as often as He does may cause us to wonder why He needs to. The truth is, we are told to not be afraid for a few reasons. The first is that the human heart is not automatically inclined to trust in God. Because of this, we are reminded to continually make the conscious decision to place our trust in His faithful character and proven track record. While we may waver in doing this at times, God’s continuous command to not fear reminds us of Him and gives us hope that He cares for us, that He will never leave us, and that we can trust in His Word. This is why it is good for us to remember, “You mean just what You say when You say don't be afraid.”

This being said, another reason we are told to not be afraid is that we, in fact, live in a world with circumstances that can and do cause us to fear. It may seem simple, but God’s command (and encouragement) is repeated to us so often because we need to hear it, not because God needs to say it. The lives we live are often full of moments, seasons, and circumstances that are difficult. They tempt us into fearing the unknown and forgetting God’s faithfulness and promises. Jesus even says in John 16:33 (NIV), “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” While trouble in life is disappointingly inevitable, we can take great encouragement in the fact that Christ has not only overcome the troubles we face in life but the very world in which we live. Maybe another reason God makes the effort of reminding us to not be afraid so often is simply that He is humble enough to do so. He never tires of bringing encouragement and hope our way. He isn’t “worn out” by our humanity so-to-speak. Psalm 103:14 (NLT) says, “For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.” Yet despite our ‘weakness’ in comparison to Him, He cares deeply for us. The very same Psalm says, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him”. (Psalm 103:13 NLT) Yet, this is not a ‘fear’ like the fears we may face in this life. To fear the Lord is to revere Him, to respect His everlasting rule, and to submit to His command. And as far as His commands are concerned, His most common one to us is “do not be afraid”.