Fear Not!
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. -- Deuteronomy 3:18 (ESV)
I crept toward the door with the burglar bar poised like a baseball bat, ready to strike any intruder that might come into my home. “What do you want?” Fear gripped me tightly. The rattling of the door handle stopped. My heart pounded as I listened for any sounds outside my apartment door. Silence.
Keeping my makeshift weapon by my side, I called the police. “Someone tried to get into my apartment.” I gave them my address, and within minutes, the police cruiser pulled up.
I opened the door to speak with the officers. They chuckled when I told them someone tried to break in while I was surfing the Internet. “This is the safest neighborhood! We’ve never had any problem here.”
“My husband died recently, and now I live alone. It seriously concerned me.” I hoped to garner a bit of sympathy.
“We’ll check things out and get back to you,” they assured me. An hour later, they came back to let me know that my next-door neighbors had just gotten married. Their best man was intoxicated when he tried to find their apartment but got mine instead. I’d confused him when he heard my voice instead of his friend’s.
The next day, my neighbors apologized for the scare. “If you need anything, let us know. We will help watch out for you,” they said. It was then that I felt God had already watched over me. He knew what I needed at that moment. I didn’t need to be afraid.
“Fear not” appears in the Bible in its variations numerous times. In the beginning of Deuteronomy, Moses instructed Joshua, who would lead Israel into the Promised Land, to fear not nor be dismayed because God would go with them. God was preparing Israel to enter Canaan after their 40-year trek through the desert wilderness. Since Moses was not allowed to go in, he commissioned Joshua as Israel’s new leader. Joshua was confident they could take the land when he, Caleb, and some other men spied it out. Even though he knew God had given the land to Israel, it could be daunting to lead this rebellious, whiny bunch into the new land. “Fear not…don’t be dismayed.” The same faith that helped him see that God would be with them when he saw the giants was the same faith he needed to take Israel into the land to conquer it.
Just as God was with Joshua, and He was with me in my new station of life, God is with you. He is going before you, preparing you for the road ahead. Fear not!
Questions for Reflection:
1. What scares you about your new situation, job, or station in life?
2. How has God shown you His presence, protection, and provision in the past?
3. Do you trust Him now?
