What if you had seen an army with weapons drawn and riding chariots and war horses pursuing you, what would you do? There's no where to escape, how would you feel? What if you were surrounded on opposite sides by mountains? What if before you is only an impassable deep sea while behind you is this force of evil? What could you do? What if you were exhorted with these ancient words, “Be of courage and see the salvation of your Lord.”

TAKE YOUR STAND. This expression is not limited to rescued Israel. The same thought is in 1 Corinthians 15:58 for us. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). The Israelites under Moses were to be stedfast and unmoveable at the edge of the sea in a resolve of their faith in their Lord God. A. T. Robinson says it means “Seated and sedentary.” Someone else says it means “standing one’s ground.” That is, “Be firm, strong, confident in the faith, in view of knowing that you have God's help.” Its application for us today is to be “fixed and unshaken in the faith, and let not the power of sin, or the sophistry of pretended philosophy, or the arts of the enemy of the soul seduce you from the faith of the gospel.”ⁱ

God's answer to His people to circumstances is always, “Stand still. Don't be afraid.” When we are following the Lord, we are in His care. He doesn't want us to be afraid.

THE TWELVE SPIES BROUGHT DISCOURAGING NEWS. God was disappointed in Israel later when at the border of Canaan their twelve “spies” returned from investigating the land of Canaan with the frightening news (Numbers 13:33), “We can't go in; they are 'giants' and we are but like grasshoppers.” The people panicked. God had told them what to do. But they listened to fake news. God was angry with the people's reacting with their crying and begging to go back to bondage.

FEAR MAGNIFIED CIRCUMSTANCES. While fear magnifies circumstances, our faith magnifies our God. “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD” (Psalm 112:1, 7). There's that "stand" thought again; "his heart is fixed in trust in the Lord."

366 VERSES OF “DO NOT BE AFRAID.” The Bible uses in some form or another an equivalent expression of “Do not be afraid” hundreds of times. In 1948, Richard Wurmbrand, a Lutheran minister in Romania at the time that the Russians invaded, wrote that he had “discovered that there are 366 verses in the Bible that instruct us not to fear, one for each day of the year and one for leap year.” He memorized each and during his arrest with a bag over his head, was heard quoting the one memorized for that day. His list is not published but a blog works up a list and quotes 145 plus verses of “do not be afraid” with a few sprinklings of “do not fear”, “do not worry”, “have peace with God”, “do not be anxious,” etc., (from the NIV).ⁱⁱ I used the KJV and added a hundred or so more by using other key words; e.g., using “fear not” in a concordance. The Bible definitely encourages God's people to have peace, not to worry and not to be anxious but to have trust in Him.

TO FEAR IS TO DOUBT JESUS. Jesus sent His disciples in a ship to the other side of the sea. During the night a storm suddently came up. “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary." Jesus came to them walking on the sea. "And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:24-33).

Peter initially obeyed the Lord, and HENCE, he walked on the water too. But when he was afraid, he began to sink. Jesus said that he doubted. Jesus had told him what he could do; but when he turned his attention from faith in Jesus, he began to doubt and was afraid.

FEARING FEAR ITSELF.     I remember as a child that President F. D. Roosevelt's watchword during World War II was, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Actually, researching this, I found that this was actually a quote from ten years earlier at his original inauguration, during the Great Depression.ⁱⁱⁱ But it is a truism for the child of God, who has been urged to be still and not be afraid, for our God is greater than any economic disaster, world wide war, pestilence, and life threatening circumstances.

DAVID WAS GOD'S WARRIOR AND POLITICIAN. His lot in life was to be constantly threatened, lied about, ganged against, and evil devised against. Yet, he faithfully continued his destiny of dedication in serving God. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul. Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word. In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me” (Psalm 56:3-11).

OUR SECURITY AND STRENGTH. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

When we center our life and faith in the one who cares for us, can we not live free from fear?

A Christian Never Walks Alone. After World War II a favorite song during appeals for charity for polio, etc., was from the play, Carousel. I remember the song being played in a theater. After they played "You'll Never Walk Alone", a collection plate was passed. The words are very appropriate for facing life with God without fear. Just change the words "hope" to "faith."

Faith, Hope, and Love are three fundamentals of the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:3). According to our lesson, you won't be afraid if you walk with faith in your heart. Therefore where the song says "hope", substitute faith for the courage to face each circumstances in our lives.

SONG:

When you walk through a storm hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark.
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark.
Walk on through the wind,
Walk on through the rain,
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on with hope* in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never, ever walk alone. *the faith

Walk on, walk on with hope* in your heart
And you'll never walk alone,
You'll never, ever walk alone. *the faith

A Christian, just like Israel of old, is not alone. Jesus is with us. God helps us through the daily struggles of this life.

- Gaylon West

Throw Out the Lifeline