"Do Not Fear!"

 Fear not, nor be afraid [in the coming violent upheavals]; have I not told it to you from of old and declared it? And you are My witnesses! Is there a God besides Me? There is no [other] Rock; I know not any.  Isaiah 44:8 (Amp)

It is said that the Bible contains 365 "Fear Not"s - one for every day of the year, and I am positive there would be one more somewhere for a Leap Year! I have never counted them, so I cannot verify this fact, but I do know there are Fear Nots throughout the Bible. With a good concordance, you could do a search, and remember also to include "Do not be afraid" and "Be not anxious" - there are so many different varieties of fear!!

I read the following scripture the other day in my daily readings and it spoke to me for all of us who love the Lord in these fear-filled times:

" ... neither be in fear of what they fear, nor make others afraid and in dread. The Lord of hosts, regard Him as holy and honour His holy Name by regarding Him as your only hope of safety ....
And He shall be a sanctuary, a sacred and indestructible refuge to those who reverently fear and trust in Him ....
And I will wait for the Lord .... Behold I and the children the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders. "    Isaiah 8: 12-18 (parts, from the Amplified Bible)

What a wonderful word! There are two major keys here as to how we stay in that place of refuge which the Lord promises for us. Firstly we remain in worship and holy reverence of our Lord. The fear of the Lord is very very different from the fear and anxiety the world gives. Simply put, it means to be in that place of looking to HIM first, remembering His holiness, His power, His might, His love and amazing grace! Worshipping in the quiet place on our own, and also with the fellowship of the saints where God has put us. Whenever we look up and worship, other things come into perspective. We can glory in the faithfulness of our Father through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit!

Secondly, we "wait for the Lord". Spend time in His presence, in His Word. Listen to Him and what He is saying in your situation. There will be comfort, encouragement, peace and joy, as well as hearing that still small voice in your heart with direction in your situation. 

As we do both these things, I am pretty sure we will be those who go out and bring courage and hope to others in the name of Jesus Christ. And we will not be joining the throng who increase fear and dread, or speak negativity and doom!

AND then there is the promise of refuge and safety - a sanctuary! How wonderful! And to cap it all, we AND our children will be for signs and wonders! Truly in this evil world today, God wants us shining as His lights, His beacons of hope to the world - and as we honour Him, and spend time with Him, the promise is for us and for our children to be signs and wonders in the bleakness of this world. 

Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame....   
For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet my love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.    Isaiah 54:4, 10