DO NOT FEAR Do not fear, for I am with you”. Isaiah 41:10 There is plenty in the world to make us afraid. Some of it scares the daylight out of us. A few years ago the big military powers in the world had stockpiled enough nuclear warheads to blow every man, woman and child on earth to pieces one hundred and fifty seven times over! It only needed one maniac to press a button and it would have been tickets! Most of them have now been dismantled, but danger from international conflict still persists. And the prospect of a global economic meltdown lurks behind all the big conferences that are held. The truth is there are too many people in the world and there isn’t food to feed them all, there aren’t jobs, and uprisings are becoming more and more frequent from disgruntled citizens in many countries. And that’s just for starters! The Israelites in Babylon were fearful. They feared trouble and oppression from their Babylonian masters. They feared another empire would overtake their captors and would cart them off to yet another strange country. They feared God had, or would, abandon them and that they would be wiped off the face of the earth. So God, who had it all under control, spoke kindly to them. “Fear not” was his message. It still is. Jesus often said the same thing to his little group of disciples. And, when the persecutions began under successive Roman emperors, they often recalled those precious words of the Saviour. Never forget them. He is not only with you in the calm and serene times. He is with you in the troubles and traumas as well. He never forgets you. And he will be with you to the end. PRAYER THOUGHT: Lord, ever remind me of your abiding presence.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Aug 2014 08:40:07 +0000