Archive for the ‘Fear Not’ Tag
God’s Encouragement To “Fear Not”!
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Scripture: Joshua 1
Summary:
Uncertain times have a way of exposing our deepest fears. Questions about our health, our families, our future, and even our faith can leave us anxious and discouraged. Yet the story of Joshua reminds us that God’s answer to uncertainty is not greater self-confidence, it is greater confidence in Him.
In this deeply personal and encouraging message, Pastor Richard Andrews reflects on God’s words to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” He reminds us that fear often reveals where we have given power to circumstances, people, or outcomes that rightly belong to God alone. But the good news of the Gospel is that the Father has not abandoned His children. The God whom Jesus Christ reveals is faithful, merciful, and present. Through the Holy Spirit, we are not left to face uncertainty alone. We are invited to confess our limitations, humble ourselves beneath God’s loving care, and learn again to trust His heart even when we cannot see the road ahead.
This is why the late theologian T. F. Torrance could confidently say: “The basic truth of the whole Christian life is that God has accepted you.”
What a liberating truth! Our courage is not rooted in our ability to control the future or to understand every twist and turn in our lives. It is rooted in the Father’s unwavering love revealed in Jesus Christ and poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We are accepted before we are victorious. We are loved before we are strong.
Pastor Richard beautifully reminds us that God often knows what lies ahead long before we do. Like a trusted guide who sees dangers we cannot see, He sometimes leads us down unexpected paths, not to harm us, but to bring us safely into His promises. The question is not whether God is faithful. The question is whether we will trust the Father, revealed in Jesus Christ and present with us through the Spirit, enough to follow Him.
Perhaps that is why Karl Barth wrote: “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.”
The Christian life is not the absence of fear. Joshua was afraid. We are afraid. Courage is not pretending otherwise. Courage is bringing our fears before the Father, entrusting them to Jesus Christ, and allowing the Holy Spirit to remind us that we are never alone. Fear tells us we are abandoned. The Gospel declares that we never are.
Because of Jesus Christ, we do not have to fear the unknown, the future, loss, or even death itself. The Father is with us. The Son has overcome the world. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. And the God who called Joshua still speaks His encouragement to His people today: “Fear not, for I am with you.” This message is a timely reminder that what is most certain in an uncertain world is not our strength, but the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Triune God.
Reflective Moment
Take a moment to consider the places in your life where fear or uncertainty has taken hold. Have you given more power to your circumstances than to the God who holds all things together? Where might the Father be inviting you to trust Him more deeply? What would change if you truly believed that Jesus Christ has gone before you, the Holy Spirit is with you now, and nothing can separate you from the Father’s everlasting love?
Perhaps today is not a call to figure everything out. Perhaps it is simply an invitation to hear God’s encouragement once again: “Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”