Do Not Be Afraid

Since Adam and Eve walked out of the Garden of Eden, troubling days have dawned upon the face of the earth.  While there are many windows through which to read and understand the Word of God, reading it as the story of troubled times is one which is easy to do.  It begins with the moment one brother killed another to the Hebrews becoming slaves in Egypt and carries to the persecution of the saints such as Stephen, James, and the Apostle Paul in New Testament days.  And, of course, the troubling days for humanity did not cease coming with the close of this era, but have continued as a part of the thread of history.

 

Midst the record of these troubling times is the presence of the Holy One who brought the creation into reality.  In more ways than can be counted those who read the Word are reminded that God is with us.  No sin and no catastrophe ever caused God to turn away, give up, or wash His hands of the struggles taking place among people like us.  In fact, God's response to our suffering, some of which we bring upon ourselves and some which simply shows up like an unwanted intruder, was to send His Son to live among us and die for us as a means of deliverance.  

"God with us" is one of the primary messages of the Word from Genesis to Revelation.  It is a theme which resounds during the holy season of Christmas, but surely we can know it as a Word which can sustain us in our own ordinary times which like the days of so many before us are filled with trouble. In the midst of all that is happening, God is still with us.  And, as we listen to what He would say to us in these days, surely one of the Words we will hear is also a Word which echoes through the Holy Word, "Do not be afraid."  Remember the reason.  We are told, "Do not be afraid" because God is with us.