A World Without Fear
“Do not be afraid.”
Can you imagine a world without fear? I wonder what that would be like. We would run into the dark without hesitation, be bored riding a roller coaster, see the world from the greatest heights, or even have spiders as pets. Whatever the fear is, without it, our world would look very different.
So why did God put us in a world where we could experience fear?
In Joshua 1, Israel is entering a new situation. Moses has just died, and Joshua is the new leader. And it’s in this first chapter where we see an amazing conversation between him and God. Well, it’s not a conversation. It’s more like the Boss is telling the employee what to do.
God is talking to Joshua. That’s important. And He is giving the new leader a picture of His plan – a plan of victory in the new land. I mean, how would you feel if God was actually giving you the plan with a promise of victory? I could actually use that in my life right now.
But God continues as He gives some clear instructions on His expectations of Joshua.
Among those expectations is this statement of “do not be afraid”. God was calling Joshua to lead the people into the next step of crossing the Jordan River and battle for the land and expects him to do it without fear.
Now, let’s remember who God is talking to. Joshua – the leader of Israel. The leader sets the tone for the people. Like Moses did for their spiritual life, the people will follow Joshua in their next steps. If the leader is afraid, the people will be too. And God does not want that.
The command to not fear appears in the Bible 365 times. That means you get one “do not fear” command for every morning you wake up. (Except for a Leap Year where you get one day to completely freak out 😊)
But what is God saying in that? He is saying:
“Trust Me. I got you.”
“Don’t look at the fear. Look at Me.”
“I’ve already promised you victory for today.”
And so much more.
As I sit here and write this, I have my own fears I am experiencing. Fear of going forward. Fear of going backward. Fear of making mistakes and bad decisions. Fear of letting myself or others down. Fear of … (fill in the blank).
If we lived in a world without fear, we would also live in a world where we wouldn’t need to look to and trust God.
That’s why God put us in a world where we experience fear – so that we can experience more of Him.
A world without fear is a world without need of God. And that’s a world I don’t want to live in.