Isaiah 43:1 But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

I have long loved the musical setting of the end of this verse, going to the beginning of verse 3. It brings to mind Jesus’ famous words of encouragement just before He was arrested: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) We encounter all sorts of trials in this world, but if we have the assurance that God has redeemed us by the blood of His Son and we belong to Him, then we have absolutely no reason to be afraid. Fear is a natural response to danger of all sorts, and it is a valuable protective mechanism, but it can be paralyzing, or cause us to do bad things thinking we are protecting ourselves. When we grasp that God not only created us, He knows us personally and has indeed redeemed us, that makes all the difference. I am reminded of the story of the little girl who misheard the Lord’s Prayer, saying it as, “Our Father who art in heaven, how do You know my name?” He indeed knows us by name, as this verse says. Indeed, Jesus said that He even keeps track of how many hairs we have on our head! (Luke 12:7) We are not to be foolish in regard to danger of all kinds, but we are to remember that God is greater than everything, and since He’s got us, we have nothing to fear.

I have long been impressed with how many times the Bible tells us not to fear. Every angelic visitation recorded in the Bible says the angel had to tell the person not to fear! (So much for cute little “cherubs!”) I am blessed to not have a very fearful personality, but I have dealt with many people who have not been so blessed. I am not to look down on them or belittle them in any way, but rather encourage them to trust the loving God who created them and knows their name. I am also not to be presumptuous about genuine dangers, but look at them objectively and ask God what I am to do about them. At 76, I’m not to put myself in physically precarious situations, but know when and how to ask for help from others. That said, I think I am completely freed from the fear of death, and that is a blessing beyond words. I am to seek to lead others to the repentance and faith that have given me that assurance, and at the same time know that it is up to them to receive it. I do “fear” that many will fail to do so, but that is something I have to release into the hands of my loving Savior.

Father, thank You for this reminder. You know the people to whom I am actively ministering at this point. I pray that my every word, my every interaction, would show them Your love and grace and open their heart to receive it for themselves, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!