Fear Notናሙና

Fear Not: The Unseen

Trusting in the God who sees

It’s a command, and a comfort found throughout the Bible. Fear Not. These two small but powerful words seem to speak to an inclination that’s within each of us. If the call is to “fear not,” it must be because we tend toward fear. It makes sense. There are a lot of frightening things in our world. Things that deserve our legitimate attention and concern and action. 

But these fears don’t deserve our devotion. Because there is a difference.

There is recognizing our fear, and then there is being devoted to our fear. Living in devotion to our fear, or being ruled by our fear, is a miserable and exhausting existence. But God speaks into that misery, and graciously says, “fear not!” 

But how? How do we actually “fear not”? 

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” (Psalm 33:20-21)

We turn our devotion toward the One who is our help and our shield. We cast our anxiety on the One who cares for us. We remember that not even the sparrows are outside of the Father’s care. Nothing happens in this world that God does not see. God sees the sparrows, and God sees you and me, and He’s not just watching from a distance. He sees. He cares. He is near. There is a lot that you and I can’t see. No matter how smart or important we think ourselves to be, what we can see of the world is just a tiny sliver that is hardly worth mentioning. None of us can see even one second into the future, and that can feel terrifying. 

But there is One who sees it all. The One who created it all and sustains it all. God sees it all, and He cares for you and me. We do not have to fear the unseen, because we can trust in the God who sees. 

What are you afraid of today? Maybe it’s one thing, or maybe it’s 100 things. Write them down. Which of these fears have you given your devotion to? 

As you read the Scriptures that follow, be encouraged that God sees you, and He cares for you! Give Him your devotion and Fear Not!