Love and Fear

Sometimes you may know that, all unsolicited, you are accompanied by

Someone who is better than you, and is with you. The “Someone” is not

obtrusive, but conveys grace and peace. If the “Someone” were to speak, you

would hear, “Don’t be afraid.” Through the Bible, God the Holy Spirit speaks

these words to individuals who,in some cases, passed the words on to large

groups of the Hebrew people; and also found in these words much needed

courage themselves.

When I first understood the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), I became

afraid at the thought of their punishment for having told a lie to the Holy Spirit. I

couldn’t connect to such an extreme, and wondered where I would be in the

kingdom of such a God. The Scriptures answered my fears.

“The angel said to her,’Don’t be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with

God.’”(Luke 1:30) Mary’s “Don’t be afraid” came when she had apparently not

asked for anything of God. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and Gideon all listened

to these words; and in all, 365 times God delivered this admonition in the Bible,

for the possibility of being unafraid comes with a promise: “Perfect love drives

out fear.” (John 4:18)

When John wrote those words he was not naive enough to believe that human

beings could produce perfect love. He knew that “We love because He first loved

us.”

“Don’t be afraid,” says the Lord, because I have loved you with an everlasting

love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

For thousands of years God has spoken to His people about His love for them,

and reminded them not to be afraid. He was preparing for the great,

indisputable proof of His love in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of His

own Son.

God’s love is personal. It comes to us from the person of Jesus, and is displayed in

all His fabulous richness; “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. . .

Greater love has no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John

15:9&13)

The greatness of His love gave us the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, who may say with

love when we face puzzling changes, “Don’t be afraid, for “Someone” loves us

with an everlasting love, and He has shown us the limitlessness of that love in His

Easter morning. In spite of the cataclysmic events of Holy Week, nothing could

be greater than the promise if resurrection life. Don’t be afraid.

Love in Him,

Prue