Don’t Be Afraid

Luke 1:13-15a

"Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord…"

These are the angel Gabriel's words to Zechariah and Elisabeth about their son John (the Baptist). Gabriel didn't tell Zechariah that John would live the life of a desert hermit, would anger some powerful people, and would eventually be imprisoned and beheaded. That's because these factors are only secondary to John's mission: prepare the way for the Lord (v. 17). It seems that we forget this a lot today. We think about comfort and success as if they were of utmost importance, but we neglect to evaluate if we are accomplishing the mission God put us here for. I think of my own children. As hard as it would be to watch them suffer &/or die, I would rather they died in the service of God than to succeed without him. Of course, what I really desire is that they live long in the service of God and succeed as well, but of course that's not the point. The point is that we are not to be afraid. God has called us to serve him. That place of service is the safest place we can possibly be. Psalm 37:3 says: "Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture." Don't be afraid. God's pasture is always safe.

Read Psalm 37 today. It is a wonderful psalm of trust and perspective on what really matters.