People are afraid of funny things. Have you noticed? Some people are afraid of being alone, some of crowds, some of being up high, some of being underground. People are afraid of animals, bugs, thunder and darkness. What about you? What are you afraid of?
Personally, I’m afraid of lots of things. As a kid I was terrified of mostly everything—the dark, tight spaces, heights, flying, and needles. Let’s be real, needles are TERRIFYING!
As I grew older, I became afraid of different things. Mostly, I became afraid of what people thought of me. Maybe you can relate. So, what are you afraid of? I mean for real? What keeps you up at night?
“FEAR NOT!”
You might be surprised to know that the Bible says a lot about fear. In fact, it may be the most common topic in the Bible. God repeatedly commands his people to “Fear not!” or “Do not be afraid!”
Maybe you have heard of the biblical character named Joshua. Joshua followed after Moses, who led the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Moses led them all the way to the Promised Land and then inconveniently died. After he died, Joshua, who was his protege, took over the leadership of the people.
And so there they were, on the borders of the land that God had promised them. All they had to do was conquer fortified cities and armies much larger and technologically advanced than they were. I don’t know about you but that sounds scarier than needles.
Into this scene, God speaks to the young new leader of Israel and said…
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Joshua 1:9)
Don’t be a sissy Joshua.
In other parts of the Bible, God commands His people to “not be afraid.” I don’t know about you but someone yelling at me to stop being afraid while I am terrified is basically pointless because I can’t change how I feel.
CHRISTMAS
The key to understanding all these “Do not be afraid” commands is actually Christmas. That’s right, I waited until after Christmas to talk about Christmas because I knew you’d be distracted by all the lights and gifts. Check out part of the Christmas story from Matthew 1:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).
This name Immanuel is incredibly important. It means that God is with us. That is what Christmas is all about. God has come to be with us. This presence of God among us is the key to fear. Let’s return to the story of Joshua standing on the borders of the Promised Land.
I AM WITH YOU
God commanded Joshua to “not be afraid” but within that passage are 3 different declarations from God that he will be with Joshua. You see, “fear not” is not as much of a command as it is an invitation. If God is with you, what do you have to be afraid of? God wasn’t asking Joshua to “man up,” He was inviting him into the reality of His presence. “Hey I created everything with mere words and hold the universe together. Why are you afraid of some walls and chariots?”
The story of Christmas is the story of God with us. The beauty of it is that Christmas is an ongoing reality. Immanuel is an ongoing invitation of God’s presence. It isn’t just for Christmas day. It’s for today. It’s for tomorrow. Because of Christmas, God is with you. Always.
So, what are you facing? What are you afraid of? Is it what they think of you? Is it that you might fail? Is it that you might not be good enough?
What if God is with you? What if Jesus is Immanuel? What if He cares and is present in your struggle? What if He is bigger than the fears you are facing?