Someone has said… that there are 365 “do not fear’s” in the Bible. I am not sure that number is right, but for the next while, I am going to send those out in our usual methods.
God says, “do not fear,” because…. HE DOESN’T WANT US TO BE AFRAID. And more than that, because HE is God, we don’t have to be afraid.
Here’s today’s DNF:
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” Genesis 15:1
Abram was tempted to be afraid because it didn’t seem like God was keeping God’s promises. There were no descendants, yet. God’s blessings seemed hidden at best. But God says to Abram (even before He changed Abram’s name to Abraham!) “Fear not!”
God then says that He is Abram’s shield. A shield defends us from enemies (whether the enemy is our sin, the effects of our sin, the world, or even Satan.) And with GOD as our shield, why do we need to fear?
God also reminds Abram of the essence of God’s promises: “Your reward shall be very great.” God repeats Himself, maybe because He knows we are prone to forget.
Fear Not