“Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee…” Acts 18:10-11
When I was a kid, there was a popular movie out with Don Knotts (My favorite all-time actor) called, THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN.
Knotts’ character, Luther, was challenged to spend the night in an old house that was reportedly haunted. Luther shook with fear all through the night as he witnessed strange and frightening things in that “haunted” house. He was given the name Mr. Chicken because of his problem with fear. While no one likes to admit being afraid, the truth of the matter is this:
WE ALL TEND TO BE LIKE MR. CHICKEN.
It has been said that there are 365 “fear nots” or similar phrases in the Bible. There is a “fear not” for every day of the year! WHY? The reason is simple: You and I have a natural tendency to get afraid every single day. Are you afraid today? Are you afraid about your job, our nation, the economy, your marriage, your family, your health, your finances, or of failure, the future, or standing up for Jesus by sharing your faith with someone who doesn’t know Him?
What is the remedy for fear?
I AM WITH YOU!
Even the great and courageous Apostle Paul had to be encouraged by God to stop being afraid. Paul was in Corinth starting a new church. There would be much opposition and many adversaries. His life could even be in danger. It was during those frightening days we read, “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
FOR I AM WITH THEE, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.’” And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God.” That promise,” I am with you” was not only for Paul, but for you and me today.
JUST LIKE LITTLE CHILDREN.
When my kids were little, they would have bad dreams from time to time. This caused them to wake up afraid. I can remember, especially my girls, making their way to our room and they would come to my side of the bed. When they awoke me to tell me about their bad dream, I would let them crawl into bed beside me. I would put my arms around them, and their fears soon went away. They knew that they were safe in the strong arms of their dad.
And, dear friend, you are so much more safe in the strong arms of Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb.13:5), NIV. And even when you walk through the deep, dark valley of the shadow of death, you don’t have to be afraid because your Shepherd is with you there (Ps.23:4). He is Jehovah-Shammah! That’s one of the many names for the Lord. It means “The LORD ever-present!”
RECEIVE HIS WORD TODAY.
Just as God’s Word came to Paul to calm his fears, so God’s Word comes to you today in the form of this text to calm your fears. If you have received Jesus as your Savior and Lord, He is with you and will see you through any and every situation. (If you have not yet received Him, you need to do it today!) Let go and relax in His strong arms as you trust that He is Lord and in control of everything (see Ps.46:10).
Thank Him for His promise and praise Him for the difficulty you’re facing. Remember the words of David in the 23rd Psalm when he said, “Yeah though I walk THROUGH the valley…thou art with me…” You’re not going to live in the valley permanently. Refuse to be like Mr. Chicken!
What’s the cure for fear?
(1) Do what the Lord says to do and keep walking through that valley!
(2) Know the Lord is with you every step of the way!
Think it over…
Written by Doug Pierce
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Christian Grandfather Magazine
Featured Image by Jeffrey Smith on Unsplash
