Greetings to you in the powerful name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! What a challenging day in the Kingdom -wind, rain, clouds, and cool temperatures! This is one of those days when you have to remind yourself that it was ‘made’ for us, and there is beauty and purpose and joy in it! I will be praying for you today, asking Father to release – the quiet rest that comes from being near His heart.
I value God’s ability to surprise me with insights to his Word, especially when I wasn’t even looking for them. I was waiting for winter tires to be put on the car and reading a book that I had brought with me. There was a conversation going on at the service desk that caught my attention. A gentleman was expressing his concern over the challenges of winter driving. The service person looked at him and said: “Well, you don’t have to be afraid with these new snow tires on.” “Don’t have to be afraid” – where have I heard that before? Oh yes, I have told many a person who was expressing their fears and concerns about something that was happening in their lives – “don’t be afraid…did you know there are 365, actually 366 – ‘fear nots’ in the Bible?”
This is where the insight came to me. The service person told the customer – “don’t be afraid because you have new snow tires.” I realized in that moment that telling a person who is afraid of surgery or a job loss or confronting a broken relationship….”hey, there are 366 ‘fear nots’ in the Bible, so you don’t have to be afraid” – is not good enough! As this began to invade my thinking, I was drawn to the words in the book I was reading…and sure enough, right there on the page was a “fear not verse” that include the phrase…for the Lord your God will go with you.” I suppose it was like saying…”you have a new set of spiritual snow tires to keep you safe.”
So, this morning I went looking for “fear not verses” and discovered that when God says “fear not” or “don’t be afraid” or “be not dismayed” – He always explains why. He says things like: because you are valuable – because I am light, salvation, and your stronghold – because I care – because I will help – because I will guard – because my rod and staff are there – because I will never leave or forsake – because you are part of my family. It is was in this moment that I understood that most, if not all, my fear comes from failing to realize that I am facing life on my abilities but on God’s abilities. God is with us and God is for us and God sees beyond the present.
So I am going to have to change my Gospel “tweet” message – “Hey did you know that there are 366 ‘fear nots’ in the Bible and each one comes with a reason?!” If this can happen while I wait at the tire shop, I can hardly wait to see what will happen next time at the doctors’s waiting room.
Be blessed!