Numbers 13:31- 32 NIV – “But the men who had gone up with him said,” We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours the living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.’”
What are you afraid of? Take a minute to write a list. Now prepare your mind and heart to accept the truth because the Bible has a lot to say about fear.
So many verses in the bible start with the words ‘do not fear.’ Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 41:13, 1 Peter 3:14, Jeremiah 1:8 and Zephaniah 3:16 are only a few. Why do you think God repeats the phrase so much? Why do you think God repeats the phrase so much? That got your attention didn’t it? God wants to get our attention. Do not fear is a command that comes from love. That means God does not command us not to fear as some sort of test of our will. He commands us not to fear because there are negative consequences for doing so.
Keep in mind that God doesn’t say don’t feel afraid. He says ‘Do not be afraid’ which refers to fear as a state of being (John 14.1, 27). Here’s how fear can look like an action or a state of being.
In Numbers 13-14, we learn God did not allow the Israelites to enter into the promised land because their fear turned them away from believing in a faithful God. God delivered his people from the Egyptians, performed plagues, parted the red sea, healed the sick through the command to look at a bronze snake, and rained down bread from heaven. Faith is not based on human logic, but even if we think logically, it made sense that God would continue to be faithful to them because he had done it so many times before.
Still, the Israelites did more than feel afraid. They allowed their fear to inspire disbelief in a promise from God. They grumbled against God and their leaders. They turned God’s act of love (delivering them from the hands of the Egyptians) into an act of cruelty in their mind and to anyone who would hear it. They were not permitted into the promised land.
God said, “Not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.”(Numbers 14:23)
It’s okay to feel fear, but it’s not okay to allow that fear to squash your beliefs especially when God has shown you time and time again that he can and will always take care of you. Fear can drive a wedge between you and God if you allow it. That’s dangerous.
Now, take another look at your list and think about the different ways how fearing can cause you to miss out on the promises and blessings of God. Then decide in your heart today that even if you feel fear, you will not allow it to become your state of being.
PRAYER: God thank you for repeating things more than once. It’s so easy to get caught up in our way of thinking and our feelings about a situation. But God we realize that ‘do not fear’ is not just a command. It is also an assurance. You give us permission not to fear because we are safe with you. Thank you for this assurance and we pray that you will help us to believe it in every situation and in every thought. Please don’t let us get carried away by our fears and miss out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.