Do not be afraid
At a Christian men’s retreat back in college, a preacher asked us to guess which command shows up most often in the Bible.
His answer? “Do not be afraid.”
I didn’t fact-check him on that, but Google told me the command appears at least 70 times. That’s a lot.
If you are a believer and God-follower as I try to be, you believe in obeying God’s commands without question.
So, if God says “do not be afraid” 70 times in the Bible, would you agree that he really means it?
In my reading of the Bible, God gives overwhelming proof that we don’t need to be afraid. From Genesis to Revelation, God comes through for his people again and again with love and power.
When you think about all of your favorite Bible stories, you see the same theme: God works to help his people overcome every threat to their lives.
At least half of the Christians I know count this as their favorite Bible verse:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Do you believe God? Do you take God at his word?
Then what reason do you have to be afraid?
In the Bible, the times God seems to get most frustrated and upset are the times when his people doubt his love and power and give in to their fear.
I understand this better now that I’m a dad.
For the last couple of years, I’ve been trying to get my son to jump from the side of the swimming pool into my waiting arms. He won’t do it. He always insists that I get so close that my hands are almost touching his armpits.
I’ve said to him: “Buddy, you know I’m not going to let you fall! You know I would never let that happen to you. Just jump! I promise I’ll catch you!”
And yet, he won’t do it. I’m frustrated by his lack of faith.
And, so now I know a little what it feels like to be God. How often does God say “jump” so we can experience the joy of flying into his strong arms? But we won’t do it. We don’t trust him.
To be fair, I think trusting God takes practice. God knows that and he is patient with us. But to get to where we are no longer afraid and we trust God means we have to make choices every day that put that trust into practice in many small ways. Every time we make one of those choices, we are choosing to form the patterns of faith.
Maybe that is why God repeats the command to not be afraid so many times.
Just as we can build faith by being mindful about it and trying it in life, we can also build fear by letting fear control our thoughts.
God gives us a mantra: “Do not be afraid.”
But the world gives us a mantra, too: “Be afraid!”
Be afraid of not having enough money.
Be afraid of not having as much stuff as your neighbor.
Be afraid of not being as important as someone else in your life.
Be afraid of not being beautiful or handsome enough.
Be afraid to not be liked or popular or shared on social media.
Be afraid of losing what you have.
Be afraid of your kids growing up to believe or embrace something different from you.
Be afraid of people who don’t look like you or think like you.
Be afraid of people invading your country or neighborhood.
Be afraid of the wrong candidate or party getting elected.
Think about what you see on commercials or on the news or on social media. How much of it echoes God’s mantra “do not be afraid” and how much of it is a constant drumbeat of “be afraid”?
Christian, you must choose: Let the world program you into fear that denies the love and power of God. Or, choose to believe God and practice a life without fear in your actions and in your mind.
If you choose to believe and obey God, it means shutting out the messages of fear that come your way and not being part of spreading those messages to others.
As Christians, we don’t spread fear and whip people up into a frenzy. If we are safe and secure in God, we share the love of God and the power of God to overcome whatever threatens us.
“Do not be afraid.”
Let it be our mantra and rule of life, especially now.
Grace and peace.