Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
I’ve heard that there are 364 references to “Do not fear” in the Bible, so one for each day of the year. I haven’t looked up every one of them, and I do suppose a lot depends on your translation, still I think that message is one of God’s primary ones. “Do not fear.” “Don’t be afraid.” “Fear not.”
In the Christmas story alone, there are four very noticeable “Do not be afraid” announcements. In Luke 1 and 2, the angels that appeared to Zechariah, Mary and then the shepherds told them “Do not be afraid.” And in Matthew 1, God told Joseph in a dream, “Do not be afraid.”
Jesus warned many times that we are not to be afraid. He told us not to fear those who can kill the body but then have no more they can do to us. He told us not to be afraid because it was our Father’s desire to give us the kingdom. And He told us He was giving us His peace, so we were not to be afraid.
And still, we are afraid. Afraid when our circumstances change, afraid when we lose our jobs or our homes or our health. We fear sometimes what evil others might force upon us, or sometimes even the evil in our own hearts.
God has promised that He is our God. He has promised he will strengthen us and help us. He has promised to uphold us with His righteous right hand (He will always do what is right). If you notice in His promises, He doesn’t limit them to just some situations and abandon us in others. He will always do what is right, He will always be our God. He will always strengthen, help, uphold those who love and honor Him.
Praise Him today for His promises to you – no matter your situation or circumstances.
