Do not be afraid.
Words that are emphasized over and over again in the Bible: 365 times actually. Words that have the power to bring comfort, but can also lead to more confusion then clarity. Words that I truly did not live out for a long time.
Personally, I always thought this statement was a lot easier said then done. How do I truly live out this command and not be afraid if it seems that the storm is crashing over me? When the wave crashes and I’m not in control, how can God rescue me from my distress? Will He who tells me to not be afraid, comfort me in my fear and my anxiety?
I am a person that loves to feel control. Control over my friendships and relationships. Control over my future and how my life plays out. And when I’m not in control, I began to become afraid. At the root of this is a lie that I tell myself that God won’t show up in my distress. That he isn’t faithful enough to be there for me. These things have suffocated me. They have made me live in fear and anxiety. They have led me to not experience Gods love to its fullest capacity.
God really spoke to me on this problem in my heart this past week. The scene in Mathew 1 was exactly what I needed to hear. In this Chapter, Mary is found with a child from the Holy Spirit before her and Joseph were married. And Joseph, knowing that this child wasn’t from him, wanted to divorce her quietly because he didn’t want to “put her to shame” and he was a “just man.” As he considered these things, The Lord appeared to him in a dream and said “Joseph, SON OF DAVID, DO NOT BE AFRAID. So take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived is from the Holy Spirit. She will have a son; and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
This passage had my mind exploding this past Wednesday. The first thing that stuck out to me was the first line the Lord said to Joseph: “Joseph, SON OF DAVID.” It had be thinking, why did the Lord preface his statement to Joseph by calling him a Son of David? Why is David even relevant to Joseph if he is 27 generations before him? Then it hit me: when Joseph felt he had no control and was at his lowest point, the Lord wanted to remind him who he was before he commanded him what to do. He wanted to remind him that he is a heir of David. A person who feared nothing, not even Goliath. A person who led the revolt against the Philistine army. A person who was a man after God’s own heart. After he reminded him who he is, he tells him to not be afraid for the son that will be conceived is the savior of the world.
I think I’m a lot like Joseph. When I’m not in control over the plans in my life, I begin to question God’s goodness for my life and I try to take action, causing me to ditch the One who has a divine and intricate plan for my life. But in that moment, I can see God appear to me and tell me who I am, then command me what to do, like he did to Joseph. I can picture God in heaven coming down saying “Jacob, son of God, do not be afraid. For I have a great plan for your life.” I love this. The death and resurrection of Jesus leads to adoption into his family for all who believe in him. So we aren’t just heirs of our former generation, we are also heirs of God himself.
I think when we feel the most afraid or when we feel the least control, God loves to remind us who we are and who we are in Christ Jesus as a Son of God. With this knowledge, we have nothing to be afraid of. We fear nothing because our father is with us. He is greater then all of our problems and fears. He is our shield, our defender who protects from inescapable predicaments. He WILL show up when the wave crashes over us.
Thank you God for always reminding me who I am in Christ Jesus. Thank you that you have a divine and intricate plan for my life. Thank you that I don’t have to afraid because I am a child of God.
So now I don’t need to be in control. For He who is in control calls me his son.
