INTRODUCTION to the series:

Several months ago – long before the Covid19 pandemic became the global focus of our lives – I surveyed newsletter recipients what topics they’d like to see me reflect on in my blogs. The answer (surprisingly to me) came back wanting to hear my reflections on life at age 66, now in my 50th year of following Jesus.  

I started laying out a writing plan with topics and stories of lessons-learned…  and then coronavirus changed life for all of us. In April, our team at DAI produced a month of devotional reflections built around our response to the pandemic. I was privileged to contribute a dozen of these reflections. Because my “blog” list and our DAI newsletter list has such little overlap, we decided I would run these again – starting Monday May 4th and appearing as a “reflection for the week” for the next twelve Mondays.

My prayer is twofold – first, that these reflections will be an encouragement to your faith and second, that at some point over these twelve weeks they become irrelevant to Covid19 because a vaccination/cure will be discovered, and we will be on the road to recovery.

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Three Words for Daily Living

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

Perhaps the most common word we have heard over these last few months is “unprecedented.” We live in unprecedented times facing an unprecedented pandemic with unprecedented economic consequences and so on and so forth. And all of these “unprecedenteds” – combined with a deluge of media coverage and social isolation – can fuel unprecedented fear in us:

  • Will I or a family member or friends get sick?
  • What if I lose my job?
  • How long will this pandemic last?
  • Will life ever go back to normal?

In the face of all the terrible uncertainties of our current situation, three of the most common words of the Bible leap out at us: DON’T BE AFRAID. Reuben Ezemadu, a colleague in Nigeria, told me that he had researched the phrase. He told me that this basic phrase appeared in the Bible 365 times – once for every day of the year.[1] His conclusion: “God doesn’t want us to live our daily lives ruled by our fears.”

On some occasions in the Scriptures, “Don’t be afraid” appears as human-to-human encouragement:

  • Throughout Numbers and Deuteronomy, Moses speaks to the Israelites: “Don’t be afraid of the challenges ahead; God will give us the victory”
  • In David’s closing exhortation to Solomon, he says, “Don’t be afraid to undertake the great task of being the King and building the Temple.”

This human-to-human encouragement speaks to our current circumstances because we really need to help each other through these days. Think for a moment of two or three people you could call or text or email with a simple word of encouragement – to remind them that we will go through these days together.

Most often, however, the biblical command “Don’t Be Afraid” comes from God or Jesus speaking to us. It appears throughout the Bible, but God increases the command at times of great change and new challenges for the people of God:

  • When the people of Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land under Joshua, God says “Don’t be afraid” multiple times
  • When Isaiah prepares God’s people for the challenges of exile, he says repeatedly, “Don’t be afraid… fear not…”
  • As Jesus enters the world as God’s Messiah, angelic messengers deliver God’s comfort – “Don’t be afraid” to Zechariah, to Mary, to Joseph, and to the shepherds.
  • And after Jesus arises from the dead inaugurating a new openness into relationship with God, the message to those at the empty tomb comes forth simply as “Don’t be afraid.”

Our fears are real so the phrase “Don’t be afraid” might sound totally unrealistic. But the biblical phrase always comes with a God-given promise or divine perspective. In these weeks ahead, we’ll look at the promises related to the “Don’t be afraid” command” so that we can build our response to these challenging days ahead on faith.

Prayer: Dear Lord, in this time of “unprecedenteds,” help me to remember not only that you are in control, but also that you have commanded us, “Don’t be afraid.” This is not an empty command, for you hold all things in your hands. Help me to not be afraid. Show me the people you want me to encourage today and give me the right words to share with them. Thank you for the hope I have in you. Please grant me your peace and increase my trust in you. Amen.

[1] Okay, I know that 2020 is a Leap Year with 366 days, but you get the point!

Paul & Christie Borthwick serve with Development Associates International. If you are interested in learning more about DAI:

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