Fear Not!

“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.” Isaiah 41:10
I was driving home from college when it happened. I had been on that road more times than I could count. I had seen everything there was to see on that road. There was never anything new.
On a Saturday morning I set off for home. Leaving school behind, I was looking forward to seeing my family. I turned on a tape and away I went. The road provided nothing new and I stared out the front windshield as I drove.
I am not exactly sure when, but at some point as I stared at the road ahead, I quit paying attention. Before I knew it, I was just a couple of miles from home. I thought to myself how did I get here. I had just been driving 50 miles and couldn’t remember any of them. The roads were so familiar, that I didn’t pay attention. I just went through the motions. It is like I was on auto-pilot and not really conscious of my surroundings.
I think there is a tendency to go through life like that. Things are just so familiar to us that we just quit paying attention. We take life for granted without even realizing it. We live on auto-pilot until something happens that awakens us and jolts us into paying attention.
Fear can do that kind of thing, and fear is a tool that Satan uses to control. The world we live in and the people we live around have been victimized by fear. Covid-19 has awoken me to this fact.
How can Christians, people who believe in the one true God, be victims of fear? Isaiah 41 commands us not to fear and for good reason. We don’t need to fear because God is with us. There is nothing that anyone or anything in this world can do to us that will take us out of God’s loving care.
Satan is trying to control us with fear. He is trying to make you and I believe that we need to be worried. Satan wants us to live scared. He wants us to refuse to trust each other and ultimately convince us not to trust in God.
We can’t let this happen. As followers of Jesus, we need to live into the truth we find in scripture. Fear not and do not be anxious about anything; instead live within the peace of God.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7