FEAR NOT: Because God Is
Day 25He Has Come
Scripture
Luke 2:10–11 · · ESV
The shepherds were out in the dark fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks. Perhaps they had gathered their sheep together for the night, counting them as they settled. They knew what it meant to keep watch through darkness, listening for anything that might threaten the flock.
But on the night Jesus was born, the darkness was suddenly broken by the radiant glory of the Lord.
And the shepherds were terrified.
Then the angel spoke:
“Fear not.”
The messenger brought good tidings of great joy meant for all people.
The angel didn’t merely command the shepherds’ fear away. He gave them a reason.
And the reason was Jesus.
Fear not because of who God is and what God has done.
A Savior has been born.
God chose ordinary working people to be among the first to hear the glorious announcement that the Messiah had been born. The angel gave them a specific sign to look for: a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God.
As soon as the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds looked at one another and said, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened…”
They found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger, exactly as they had been told.
Take a look at what happened next. They heard. They went to see. They spread the word. And they returned glorifying God.
Perhaps to the same sheep. The same pasture. The same work.
But they returned differently.
And like the shepherds, we will finish Advent and return to the same house, the same job, the same diagnosis, the same unanswered questions, the same ordinary Saturdays and Tuesdays.
But we return knowing:
A Savior has been born.
This is the Fear Not that started this study for me. I began with shepherds standing in a field outside Bethlehem. And the Fear Not that announced the arrival of our Savior.
Then, as I started looking backward, I discovered that God had been saying “Fear not” all along. All through Scripture, God has been telling frightened people not to fear because of who He is.
And now I understand why this one stopped me and drew me in.
“Fear not … For unto you is born … a Savior.”
The reason for “Fear not” was lying in a manger.
The reason has a name.
Jesus.
FEAR NOT when the unexpected breaks into your ordinary day or night.
BECAUSE GOD IS your Savior and He has come.
Where have you found unexpected joy in the middle of an ordinary day?
Prayer
On this holy night, quiet my heart and draw me near to the manger.
Thank You for coming into our darkness with good news, great joy, and the promise of salvation.
When fear finds me, help me remember the shepherds’ message:
A Savior has been born.
Jesus has come.
And because You have come, I do not have to be afraid.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Amelia