Fear not!

     Although I have not personally checked it myself, I have read that the command, “Fear not!” appears in the Bible 365 times. It seems to me that God had a very good reason for repeating that command that many times, enough for each day of the year!
    The thing is that fear is a very real for many of us. At some point in our lives, we will face situations that will cause us to feel very afraid and uncertain about our future.
    I listened to one such testimony of a woman, Sonia, who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer and had it gone undetected she would have had eighteen months to live. Interestingly, the verse that God gave her to hold on to during this difficult season was: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Right there, in that verse, we understand that there is really no reason to be afraid. If God did not deposit fear into us then we are not obligated to submit to it. Yet, that is of course easier said than done.
    After receiving her diagnosis, her doctor recommended a treatment of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and finally radiation. This was her best chance of beating the cancer and preventing it from reoccurring. Sonia was not at peace with the idea of the chemotherapy and radiation and finally decided to only do the mastectomy. She was able to stand by her decision with the help of the verse God had given her in 2 Timothy 1:7. Although her family were not in agreement with the choice she had made, they chose to support her. After the mastectomy Sonia had to do another surgery to remove twenty-one lymph nodes. After her recovery, she  had to do another mammogram a year later to see if the cancer had spread. During this season of waiting her faith was tested but she found encouragement in God’s Word and nature. She was reminded of the reality that He held nature together and He would do the same for her. When she reached the point of accepting the possibility that she might not be healed, God reminded her that the Father had left her an inheritance through His Son. Similarly, just as she would be happy to leave something for her children, the Father would be happy if she would receive what His Son had died to give her. At that point, she knew she would not die. When she finally did her mammogram and followup, there was no sign of cancer.
    As I recall her testimony, I am reminded of the reality that our road can sometimes be a very difficult one, even more so when we can’t see what lies ahead and we are uncertain of whether or not we are going to make it. As I said, fear is real - the fear of not knowing what lies ahead; the fear of things not working out the way we would like; the fear of unanswered prayer. And yet, God tells us repeatedly, “Fear not!” 
    One of the verses that has truly given me encouragement over the years is found in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” In this verse, God gives one of the best reasons for not being afraid - He is with us. Because He is with us and  because He is our God we can be encouraged by the truth that we have the strength we need when we need it. He will help us. We don’t have to go through alone and in fact He promises that the battle belongs to Him so we don’t have to fight on our own, if at all. On top of all of that, He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. In short, He will protect, sustain, preserve and keep us. We don’t have to do it ourselves. He is the One who will do it for us!
    If you have not accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your personal Lord and Saviour, I encourage you to make that step today. Jesus has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. If that is the case, and we have His Presence with us 24/7, then indeed, why be afraid? He is El Roi, the God who sees me. He does not miss a thing. We are covered and we are safe because we belong to Him. Be encouraged.

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