Don’t Be Afraid
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Dozens of times in scripture people are told, “Don’t be afraid” or “Do not fear.” That’s because there are lots of reasons to be afraid. We live in a world filled with uncertainty, difficulty, and trouble. There are threats to our safety all around us. There is much to make us afraid.
I once had to confront someone in our neighborhood who was stealing from an elderly neighbor. Thinking about confronting him made me afraid, but my fears were greatly reduced when a buddy of mine agreed to go with me. He was 6”5” and about 240. His physical presence was intimidating and that made me feel safe.
When the Bible says “Don’t be afraid” it’s not saying there’s no danger; it’s saying that you have a big friend who’s going with you—God Himself. Even more than that, the verse above says, “he goes before you.” If God goes before you and He goes with you what is there to fear? Absolutely nothing!
David learned this through his trials and travails. He wrote: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4) David had good reason to be afraid. Saul, the king of Israel, was trying to kill him, forcing him to flee to the camp of Israel’s arch enemy, the Philistines. His only source of hope was the presence of God. If God did not go before him or go with him, he was surely doomed.
David’s confidence was in the Lord and the Lord delivered him. Of this experience David wrote: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4)
When you are afraid, do you turn to God?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.