Thought for the week

Fear Not!

FOR over two years we have been bombarded with messages conveying fear.

In early 2020 we started hearing about a new virus coming out of China and the devastating effect it could have upon us.

The Fear Factory increased its production dramatically and we were bombarded with messages promoting fear.

We were told the number of deaths from Covid-19, but not the number of survivors. We were told the numbers entering hospital, but not the numbers leaving.

We were encouraged to isolate, but statistics on deaths due to loneliness were never mentioned.

Fear of personal contact with someone who had the dreaded disease has driven society for two years.

And just when the pandemic seemed to be under control, the Fear Factory came up with a new product – the possibility of a nuclear war with Russia that could wipe out much of the population.

Fear itself can be self-fulfilling. There is a character in the Bible called Job, who says, “For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.“We can concentrate so much on our fear that it eventually comes to possess us.

I understand that the words “Fear Not” occur in the Bible 365 times – one for every day of the year. They are words of comfort, but also words of instruction.

We have to make a conscious decision that we will not fear, whatever the circumstances.

God does not want us to be in fear, but to put our trust in Him that He knows what is best for each one of us, because He knows the end from the beginning. “Perfect love casts out fear.”