Fear Not

(Editor's note:  Originally published in 2009)

“So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:26-30 (NIV)

My maternal grandmother, Hattie Eddy, used to say, “They can kill ya, but they can’t eat ya.” Now, a statement such as this conjured up somewhat disturbing images in my young and impressionable mind, even though it was said with a twinkle in her eye and was intended to calm me over some turmoil in my life. It was Grandma’s way of saying, “Don’t be troubled over what the world dishes out. It can’t hurt you.” Looking back, I can now see that the world made her life miserable at times. She raised nine children during the Depression, had lost a daughter in a drowning accident and a few in childbirth, and the lack of money brought burdens she couldn’t control. Yet, she never failed to have a smile on her face, a laugh in her eyes, and a warm embrace for her beloved family. The world may have attempted to “kill” her, but she knew that it couldn’t consume her heart and soul that God had lovingly prepared for the life she endured.

We’ve all been afraid at one time or another. The world charges in and exerts its influence, causing our hearts to falter in our attempts to bear what it brings. If we allow it to overcome us, we panic and become desperate, often conforming to its demands just to make life easier. Our fears prevent us from taking that step of faith, from giving the Gospel to the lost, and putting aside our own comforts to help those less fortunate. All too often, we forget the words that Jesus told His disciples in preparation for what would come. We fail to remember how precious and dear we are to Him, how much more valued we are, and of our “worth” in His sight.

It is hard to imagine that we do have “worth”. In our fallen and sinful state, our disobedience and rejection of Jesus, it still amazes me that God would find any value in us. However, I am reminded by Charles H. Spurgeon that God loves us simply because He loves us. There is no other explanation. God is love: infinite, immutable, faithful, merciful, and unconditional. His reasons are solely His own and I dare not question His motive. Rather, I grab hold of it and cling to it as if He were my very lifeline, keeping me from drowning in a sea of sin and damnation. I embrace the knowledge that He loves me and is making me into what He would have me be out of a love purer than my imagination can summon forth; a love that whispers to me in the darkness and tells me not to fear, “For I will never leave you nor forsake you.” I will never fully understand His love for me until I stand before Him face-to-face and am completely enveloped in it for all eternity.

So, let the world bring what it may. Let it charge in, baring its teeth in an attempt to consume me. Let fear that rides in on the tides of life be washed back to the sea from whence it came. I will faithfully stand on the promise Jesus made to His disciples, and the one my Grandma gave me. The world may kill the body, but will never have the soul. It belongs to Him, and only Him and no other may have it.

“So do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Copyright 2006 Karen L. Brahs

Listen...

I am listening to the music of the rain.  As it falls from the gray skies that have enveloped my mountain valley, the patter of its drops fall from the roof onto the ground below.  The nourishment it brings is welcomed by the earth as it soaks deeply into the ground and replenishes the life-giving soil.

I won't complain about the chill in the air, the mud the dog brings in on her little feet, or the droplets she carries into the house on her back.  She smiles at me as she shakes them onto the floor as if to say, "You don't mind if I bring a little in with me, do you?", then makes her odd little circles over the top of her rug before curling into a smaller shape to warm her body.  I clean up any footprints or raindrop spatters that have reached the cabinets and smile back at her.  Today I don't mind.  I am listening to the rain.

The rain is my music.  Its melody is gentle and soothing, reminding me of the continuing providence the earth and its inhabitants faithfully receive.  In the days and weeks to come, there will be a different music played from the heavens.  It will be the music of sunshine and heat the summer will bring; of the occasional thunderstorm that perches atop the mountains surrounding my home, its booming bass drums and timpani echoing back and forth across the valley floor, the lightening flashing its brilliance like crashing cymbals bringing the symphony to its glorious conclusion.  The cadence of life passing by as in a dream will play upon my soul as I listen to the musical laughter of my grandchildren freed from the constraints of school and relishing the days of warmth and frolic.

There is much more music coming, but today, I am listening to the rain.  Verses begin to flood my mind, feeding my soul like the waters feed the earth.

“And if you will indeed obey my commandments that I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, he will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, that you may gather in your grain and your wine and your oil.   And he will give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be full."

Deut. 11:13-15

  “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
    and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.  May my teaching drop as the rain,
    my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
    and like showers upon the herb.  For I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
    ascribe greatness to our God!"

 Deut. 32:1-3

 "Behold, God is great, and we know him not;
    the number of his years is unsearchable.  For he draws up the drops of water;
    they distill his mist in rain, which the skies pour down
    and drop on mankind abundantly."

Job 36:26-28

 "May they fear you while the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!   

May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
    like showers that water the earth! 

In his days may the righteous flourish,
    and peace abound, till the moon be no more!"

Psalm 72:5-7

  Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!

He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.

Psalm 147:7-8

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.  For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

Matthew 5:44-45

I know the music of the rain will soon cease and the sign of God's enduring covenant will shine brightly in the sky (Gen 9:8-17).  From one side of my valley to the next, the bow will gleam with vibrant colors of promise, a glorious display in the heavens that will stop even the hardest heart as it gazes upon it in wonder and awe.  The melody that issues forth from the bow will pierce the eye and flow into the heart that desires understanding of the One who placed it there.  That is its purpose and its music will not go unnoticed.

Today I am listening to the music of the rain.  It is carrying me along with its gentle bars of praise and worship, and its heavenly melody is filling my soul.

Tomorrow there will be a different song from heaven.  But for now, I will rest to the musical tones of the rain falling upon my heart.

Do you hear the music?