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Do Not Be Afraid

Do Not Be Afraid

Derek Webb wrote “A New Law” in 2005. It’s on his Mockingbird record if you’re interested. The song is good on multiple fronts and I encourage you to listen and consider. But, honestly, my favorite thing about the song is the last minute. As the song concludes, Mr. Webb simply repeats the refrain: Do Not Be Afraid. Do Not Be Afraid. Do Not Be Afraid. For an entire minute Mr. Webb repeats those simple words. Sometimes (when I’m not driving) I’ll just close my eyes and soak in that admonition.

Here’s why the refrain is so refreshing: it’s straight from the lips of Jesus. Read the Gospels. You hear our Savior (and his angels) constantly telling His people, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid, you are more valuable than many sparrows. Do not be afraid, I control the winds and the waves. Do not be afraid, your prayers have been heard. Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God. Do not be afraid, walking on water ain’t nothing (loose translation there).

God knows our frame and has not forgotten that we are dust. We are frail. We are weak, even when we pretend to be strong. We all know this to be true. Global pandemics only magnify what we already knew to be true. If we are sober-minded and just take a look around, we’ll see and feel our (collective) weakness.

In the face of that God says: Do not be afraid. Why? Because God is good. God is sovereign. If we can believe that God is good and God is sovereign, fear should really never rule us. If God is for us, who can be against us? The answer: everyone and everything. The economy can be against you. Disease can be against you. Natural disasters and calamity can be against you. Family members can be against you. Governments can be against you. It’s funny. The answer to that question is not: no one. The answer is everybody can be against you.

The promise of the Bible is not that you will be kept from pain but that you will be kept with God. That even if you lose your house, you will have God. Even if you lose your family you will have God. Even if you lose your job you will have God. Even if you lose your very life you will have God. And God is good and in control. God is good and in control. God is good and in control. Do not be afraid.

Hugh Latimer knew and lived this truth. When living for God in 16th century England he suffered a terrible death. He was burned at the stake for his confession of the goodness of God and the freedom of His Word. At the stake, as the fire was lit, he looked to his companion, Nicholas Ridley, and uttered the famous words: “Play the man.”

“Play the man” doesn’t mean anything to us in 2020. But in October of 1555, Mr. Ridley understood what his friend was saying. He was saying, put steel in your spine. Be courageous. Be confident. Why? Certainly not because our circumstances are great or our situation enviable. He was about to be burned alive! No. The courage… the confidence… it all came from a deep and abiding knowledge that God is good and in control.

Today we are faced with much uncertainty. COVID-19 has people afraid of losing their jobs, their wealth, their families, and their very lives. Fear of loss is not new to 2020; it is only magnified as we all experience it together.

Remember the words of Jesus: Do Not Be Afraid. God is Good. God is Sovereign.

Remember the words of Hugh Latimer: Play the Man. Be Confident. Be Courageous.

How? Own your Hope.

Here’s a few suggestions of how to do that practically:

Own Your Intake:

  • Quit consuming news like it’s oxygen. Get the facts. Move on. I might add, get the facts you need to operate in your world. If you’re not a medical professional, the current numbers of ICU beds at your local hospital probably doesn’t impact you. You don’t control that. You have no say in how that problem will be solved. If news brings nothing but anxiety to you, quit reading about it. Pray about it. Go to sleep and trust that God is good and in control.
  • Be Entertained with Truth. Tiger King is a distraction, not sustenance. When you get online, find a three-minute clip of Timothy Keller on YouTube, get lost in a maze of Ravi Zacharias, John Piper, and Keller clips. Thank God for smart Christians. Pray about it. Go to sleep and trust that God is good and in control.
  • Read Your Bible. You had to know that was coming. Start your day with Psalm 103, end it with Psalm 46. Maybe throw in some Gospels for lunch. Pray. Go to sleep. And trust that God is good and in control.

Own Your Output:

  • Serve Someone. Get the cell phone numbers of your neighbors. When you go to the store, ask who needs something. Want to go next level? Pay for it. (Remember, God is good and in control. Many of us can afford to be generous.) Find someone who lost their job and give them a gift card to the grocery store. The best medicine for anxiety is to bear the burdens of others. Plus, we’re commanded to do that—two birds, one stone.
  • Do Something Daily. We were made to work. Labor comes before the Fall. If you don’t have daily, meaningful activity, you need to find it. If you can’t find a job, volunteer. Idleness will kill you, slowly.
  • Initiate. Instead of complaining that you can’t go see your friends, organize a Zoom call. Call a neighbor, take a socially distanced walk. It’s legal. I checked. Don’t wait for others to serve you; serve them first.

Friends, God is good. God is sovereign. Life is hard, always has been. Own your hope. Own your intake. Own your output. Do Not Be Afraid.