The single most repeated command in Scripture is “Do not be afraid!” Pastor Rick Warren has pointed out that there is a “fear not” verse for every day of the year – 365 separate passages calling us not to worry but instead to trust God completely. Here are a few key examples.
That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”
Genesis 26:24
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.”
Exodus 14:13
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.”
1 Chronicles 28:20
This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.’
2 Chronicles 20:15
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”
Daniel 10:12
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
Revelation 2:10
All fears are relative. Dark is only scary because we know the light. The unknown is worrisome because we prefer the known. You are afraid of a bully until the school principal shows up – then you are suddenly more afraid of the principal! You are nervous about giving the big presentation but, on the balance, more worried about what would happen if you don’t.
When the Bible commands us not to be afraid, the actual message is to fix our fear in the proper place. When we know GOD for who He is and bow before Him with the proper reverence and awe, all other fears – relatively speaking – fall into place.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
Proverbs 1:7
The starting point for understanding life and the world is a proper fear of God – an understanding that He is Almighty and we are not; that He is glorious and we are sinners; that He is All-knowing and our knowledge is profoundly limited; that He is perfectly trustworthy even though we are so consistently unreliable.
Our problem is that we don’t listen to the Bible and instead let our hearts and minds stew on everything that could go wrong in this world. The Christian should never be controlled by fear because we should not be obsessed with this world and the possibility of losing it. Non-Christians run after all of these things. Non-believers are unavoidably obsessed with protecting their health and doing all they can to ensure they get as much out of this life as they can. That’s because they have no hope of eternity. For them, this world is all there is.
Not so for us. With our hearts set on Jesus and a clear vision of eternity with Him, there is nothing that should slow us down or hold us back. Again, it’s all relative. What do we risk with exposure to a virus? For most of us it would just be a couple of weeks back in quarantine. For some it might mean feeling very sick for a while. For a very few it could mean time in the hospital or even death.
Don’t we believe that God is sovereign over sickness? Aren’t we convinced that Jesus has conquered death forever? Aren’t we committed to seek first His Kingdom and trust God with everything else?
Martin Luther wrote a helpful pamphlet in 1527 addressing the issue of whether it’s ok to flee from a plague. (In those days the mortality rate was 30-90%!) He first instructed pastors and parents not to flee – not to abandon their responsibilities to care for their church members, their children and their neighbors. Then he acknowledged that not all believers have the same measure of faith, so it is ok for those who are not as bold in the face of illness and death to leave – and those who stay should not judge them for leaving. But Luther also instructed “the bold ones” to be sensible and take practical measures to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the disease lest they “test God” rather than trust in Him.
We should not be irresponsible. But we should be confident and live each day at peace. In the face of horrific persecution and just a few years before his own execution in Rome, Paul wrote the inspiring words that conclude Romans 8.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 3neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:31-39
I write this message today as an appeal to those who are feeling reluctant to come back to worship and live fellowship with other believers. Is there reason to be concerned about being exposed to the virus and possibly spreading it unintentionally? Sure. But aren’t there also a host of concerns related to neglecting the priority of corporate worship and the commands to gather with other believers? Relatively speaking, which is the greater concern? The time comes when everyone needs to face their fears and come back to church.
- Is the greater risk catching the virus or letting your heart grow cold toward the Lord?
- Is the larger issue letting your kids have contact with other kids or showing them that church is not all that important?
- We are concerned about containing COVID-19 but are we equally or more concerned with spreading the gospel?
For those who are over 65 and/or who have serious health conditions that time may still be in the future. But those who are otherwise young and healthy need to reflect on the verses above and consider why they are really staying home. Is it a worldly fear? Is it comfort with a self-indulgent pattern of using Sunday for purposes other than worship and fellowship?
We have a mission to accomplish that begins with worship, ends with worship and is fueled by worship. Let’s not let fear keep us from our core commitments to worship, fellowship, ministry and outreach!