Of the sixty-six books in the King James Bible, twenty-four of them admonish the reader not to be afraid. Some of them emphasize courage, and some explain reasons for not fearing; but all associate fear with an absence of faith. Probably the simplest, gentlest and most direct message of “Do not fear,” comes from the lips of Jesus himself: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

As a child I sometimes had a bad dream at night and would wake up calling my mother. She came unfailingly yawning, and sat by my bed until I was able to go back to sleep. She used no other remedies but her presence and her remedy never failed. I once asked her why, with all that she had to do when she got up, she would spend time just watching me go to sleep. Even when I was quite young I marveled that she, the mother of four children at that time, would take her precious sleep time to sit with me while I went back to sleep. “That’s what mothers do, Prudy” she said. “ It comes with the territory.” I didn’t know what that meant, but they were reassuring words to me.

We live in tumultuous times that could easily give anyone a nightmare, especially when so much information and almost immediate visual images of war and destruction from around the world are present in our very homes. Almost inescapable are the pictures and sounds of reports from locations of strife as well as natural disasters on our planet. The strife gets louder and louder, and it is impossible to see a way through either domestic or foreign chaos. If possible, it would be enough to silence the “still small voice” of God, (1 Kings 19:12) but there lives in us a voice that speaks to our spirits as He did to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

It is from God that courage comes, from God that we overcome our fears, from Him that we learn not to hug our fears, but to relinquish them. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives that made Jesus’ words of comfort possible to believe in his time. The presence of God is the reason for us not to fear.

How can we find peace? Our peace grows as our faith grows. Jesus’ words to his disciples are meant for us all; God’s pleasure is to give it to us. It comes with the territory.

Love in Him,

Prue