Posted on 05/21/2019 5:39:02 AM PDT by Gamecock
We are fragile mortals, given to fears of every sort. We have a built-in insecurity that no amount of whistling in the dark can mollify. We seek assurance concerning the things that frighten us the most.
The prohibition uttered more frequently than any other by our Lord is the command “Fear not.” He said this so often to His disciples and others He encountered that it almost came to sound like a greeting. Where most people greet others by saying “Hi” or “Hello,” the first words of Jesus very often were “Fear not.”
Why? Perhaps Jesus’ predilection for those words grew out of His acute sense of the fear that grips all who approach the living God. We fear His power; we fear His wrath; and most of all we fear His ultimate rejection.
The assurance we need the most is the assurance of salvation. Though we are loath to think much about it or contemplate it deeply, we know—if only intuitively—that the worst catastrophe that could befall us is to be visited by God’s final punitive wrath. Our insecurity is worsened by the certainty that we deserve it.
Coram Deo
Listen to God’s Word to you today: Fear not!
Passages for Further Study
Isaiah 41:10 fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Hebrews 13:6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Ping
A typical fear is that our Western Christian civilization will inevitably decline more and more. Easy to fear in that way, like a stuttering soldier wetting his pants.
LOL
Great simile.
I think Augustine is a worthy model for those fears. Rome was falling during his time but he remained focused on Heavenly things.
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