Redeeming Love: A 5-Day Devotional by Francine RiversChikamu

Fear Not!

Fear is a constant companion for some of us. It looks over our shoulders as we make decisions and invades our thoughts as we consider the future. We fear making mistakes, losing the good opinion of others, or suffering the illness or death of those we love. 

A surprising number of verses in the Bible address fear, and many of them command us, “Fear not!” Psalm 46:1–3, 7 says: 

God is our refuge and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble. 

So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 

Let the oceans roar and foam.

Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! . . . 

The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

This passage is notable for what it doesn’t say: that God will make everything work out okay for us. Instead, the psalm paints a picture of drastic circumstances. The earth could be shaken by such a great earthquake that the very mountains would break off and fall into the raging ocean—yet the psalmist says he will not fear. How is that possible? 

Verses 1 and 7 answer this question: because God is with us. 

This isn’t just any god we’re talking about. This is the Lord Almighty, the God of Jacob. He is the creator of the universe and the one who has redeemed us through Christ’s death on the cross. He is the one who is our refuge, our strength, and our fortress. He is the one who has promised not to leave us. 

We fear the unknown, but what is hidden from us is known by God. Isaiah 46:9–10 reads:

Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God!

I am God, and there is none like me. 

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. 

Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

Nothing is a mystery for God. He already knows what will happen in the future, and He already knows how He will help us through it. 

What fears are keeping you from moving forward in your life? How does remembering that God knows the future help you?