ADVENT - DAY 16 - FEAR NOT

ANTICIPATING GOD IN THE CHRISTMAS SEASON (A Daily Advent Devotional)

Over the next few days till Christmas I would like you to take a journey with me in anticipation.  Let's daily look at the events leading up to the birth of Christ with a sense of anticipation of His arrival into this world and into our lives.  (Inspired by the Book "The Miraculous Journey" by Marty A. Bullis).

Advent - Day 16 - FEAR NOT

And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (Luke 1:11-13 ESV)

There is a phrase that appears over and over in the New Testament in regards to the Christmas Story.  It is "Fear Not."  The Angel says to Zechariah - "Do not be afraid."  Mary is soothed with the same words.  Jesus grows up and uses the words to settle His disciple's hearts in regards to the storms.  Christ wants our fears to be eased - He wants to calm the waters of the raging storm around us.

When the storms come they often disrupt our lives and put our focus on things other than God.  It causes us to see no good for now or for the future.  God sees the disruption and speaks "Fear not."  People are filled with all sorts of fear and anxiety over a multitude of things. It has paralyzed us from doing God's perfect bidding in our lives.  

The Advent message breaks into our frantic and fearful lives.  It quiets us.  It calms us.  Like Zechariah, we must forcefully be muted so that we won't be distracted by all the voices trying to pull us to the sidelines.  He stills our hearts so that we will know that there is a God and that we would trust in Him - Psalm 46:10.

Our resolve should be... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39 ESV)

Fear not!