Matthew 6:26 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Fear is one of the biggest stumbling blocks of every youth and adult. We are afraid of what could happen, what did happen, or what others may think. We fear for safety and we fear because of the unknown.

Is there something under the bed or something beyond the next dark corner? Will the bully be there today? Will I say the wrong answer in class and the kids will think me stupid and laugh. Young stomachs are tied in a knot because of something an adult meant figuratively (“I’ll kill you” or “the hurricane will blow us away”). Adult stomachs, eaten by years of worrying develop ulcers.

We fear. We fret. All is in vain: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” Mat. 6:27. What good will worry do? It won’t make you taller, or thinner. It never solves things it just adds to the problem.

Someone else’s comment was: “No Christian ever falls beneath today’s load. We only fall when we borrow tomorrow’s trials, without the benefit of tomorrow’s grace.”

Over 50 times in the Bible we are comforted to not be afraid, including:

When Moses prepared the people for their new life in a new land, he told them of the enemies they would face and not to fear them: Deut. 7:18 “ Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt;”

He reminds them even when it looks like you’re out matched, out ranked, out gunned :
Deut. 20:1 “ When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” Remember what He has done in the past. He can do it again.

Being out-numbered means nothing to God: 2 Chron. 20:15 “And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.” Nothing is impossible with God: Mark 10:27 “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

When Nehemiah had a seemingly impossible task before him, when the government, and the do-gooders tried to stop him from his task: Nehemiah 4:14 “And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, [which is] great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

David, the great warrior and leader, reminds us that he had fears also, as any man, woman, or child will :

Don’t be fearful of getting hurt.
Psalm 56:11 “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.”
Luke 12:4 “And I say unto you my friends , Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.” (Not from David, of course).

Don’t be afraid of the night.
Psalm 91:5 “ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;”

Don’t be afraid what could happen during sleep.
Proverb 3:24 “When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”

Don’t be afraid of fear itself or being alone.
Proverb 3:25 “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.”

As when the disciples where afraid when Jesus walked to them on the water: Matthew 14:27 “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

Don’t be afraid. As Matthew 6 reminds us: God takes care of the birds and clothes even the flowers. You are made in His image. If you are one of His, you are never alone, He will take care of the situation, in His time and His way.

July 26, 2005