Fear Not
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. – Isaiah 43:1
The most ferocious member among the occupants of our Minnesota barnyard was a huge, red rooster that “ruled the roost.”
At five years of age, I feared that creature more than all the other animals in our company. And he seemed to know it.
As I cautiously crept across the space between the house and the play area on the hillside, he would suddenly appear around the corner of the lilac bush
and rush out at me, wings spread and fanning wildly, letting out a cackle that paralyzed me, and left me screaming for help. His big, red top comb
waved menacingly as he screeched and strutted back and forth in front of me, cutting off my advance. Retreat only invited him to attack, and I could
just imagine those wicked claws ripping at me.
I had long forgotten that fear until one day, many years later, when I was on an early morning walk and heard a rooster crow from a rooftop near my home.
When the memories of that “terrifying” rooster started coming back, I realized that I had never really been in danger, but his scare tactics worked
on my five-year-old perspective.
The devil uses scare tactics against people too. When he sees us moving forward in God’s will, he will use whatever ploy he can to stop us. He wants to
make the path ahead look scary, with impossible obstacles standing before us. However, we need not fear! When we look at the situation with the right
perspective, we realize that we are the Lord’s, and He is much greater than the enemy of our souls. There is no problem or situation so difficult that
God cannot overcome it.
Satan will try to worry us, hassle us, and harass us, but God is well able to protect us. He is our refuge in times of trouble. We do not have to fear
the enemy’s threats; he cannot do a thing against us that God does not allow. God said, “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee.” Hold to that wonderful
promise!