Fear Not

Fear Not

When you read the accounts in Matthew and Luke concerning the announcements of Jesus’s birth, it is interesting to see that in each of the accounts the angel told everyone to not be afraid.  Mary was afraid of the angel telling her that she was favored and God was with her.  Joseph was afraid to take Mary as his wife.  The shepherds and Zechariah were afraid of the angels sudden presence in their lives.  In each instance we understand the fear that gripped their hearts.  We believe that we would probably react the same way.  It is not everyday that an angel of the Lord appears in your life.  Today, let’s take a few minutes to think about the fear each person felt.
Mary felt fear about what it meant that she was favored by God and that God was with her.  What was it that God wanted her to do?  Would she be up to the task?  Would it change her life completely? I am not sure she had time to contemplate all of these things when the angel appeared but I am sure she did know that God was about to change her life in some way.  It is not a light thing to be used by God.
Joseph was struggling with the news that his beloved was pregnant and he knew he was not the father.  His love for Mary and his obedience to God put his life in turmoil.  He still wanted to be married to Mary but what would that mean to his family and his life?  He needed assurance from God that getting married was the right thing to do.
Zechariah and the shepherds were living life when suddenly an angel appeared to them.  That will shake up your day or night.  Did you ever stop to ask yourself why we always assume that an angel appearing to us would mean judgment or bad news?  Do we hide some things that cause us to act guilty when the holy appears in our lives?  Sneaking a cookie when your mom walks in on you causes you to be afraid of her presence.  I am sure Mary was also startled but she was more afraid of the blessings to come than she was of the mere presence of the angel.
The presence of the holy in our lives results in fear.  If you look at every instance in the Bible when the Lord appears to people, they all have the same response.  They fall on their face before the Lord. Whether God is calling you into service, assuring you of a step of obedience, or announcing his plan to you through his Word, a healthy fear of the holy is a correct response.  All of our arrogance or self assurance is wiped away when we live in the sovereign plan of God.
Yet, because of Jesus, we can enter into the most holy place with boldness.  Because of Jesus we are called friends of God. Because of Jesus we are adopted into the family of God and we can call the heavenly Father, Dad.  Because of Jesus we are more than conquerors and we can walk in confident obedience to him.  Because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit we can serve powerfully and faithfully.  Because we have the Word of God we can grow in grace and knowledge and walk in godly wisdom.  We truly can understand what it means to “fear not”.
Now, having said that, we must be extremely careful that these great gifts build our confidence in him and not ourselves.  Our worship and our walk should continue to be filled with a holy respect and fear of him and what is holy.  Our worship cannot be flippant or so casual that we lose sight of the awesomeness of God.  We cannot simply praise him for what he has done and will do for us.  Yes, God delivers, protects, provides, and guides.  Yes, God will deliver and give us strength in the storm.  But he does not exist to make our lives better.  We need to praise and honor him for his holiness, beauty, power, justice, etc.  We need to live in awe and reverence of him at all times.  While I have been made worthy to walk into his presence with boldness, I must still recognize him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  While Jesus has allowed me to call him Abba Father (a term of intimacy), I must understand that this does not make him my sugar daddy who is there to provided for my every want but it makes him the loving patriarch of my family who is to be respected and adored.
I no longer cower before God because the work of Jesus has delivered me from my guilt and shame.  But I am, each day, more and more in awe of him.  Jesus has not taken away my desire and need to bow before him but he has provided a way for God to reach out and lift me off of my knees and into a loving hug.  May I never take this intimacy for granted and make it more about me than I do about him.