"Fearless"

Don’t fear, Mary,

And Joseph, same for you,

Don’t fear, shepherds,

You’ll be shown just what to do.

Don’t fear, wise men,

Go home a different way,

Don’t fear, Ann and Simeon,

This is a joyous day.

That fear, we all have felt it,

The panic in our souls,

The what-if’s and if-only’s,

Anxiety controls.

But God has come to heal us,

His love casts out all fear,

We can trust in Jesus,

Immanuel means near.

Faith is our strong victory,

It also is our shield,

Stops every dart of satan,

And though the battle’s real,

God’s peace rules within us,

We don’t have to be afraid,

Just seek first His Kingdom,

Cares on God’s altar laid.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18, NAS)

Oftentimes faith is seen as the remedy for fear. You can understand why. Fear, in many ways, is like faith in the wrong direction. Instead of expecting God’s help and blessing, one expects and dreads something bad. But John shares an even deeper understanding when he says it’s love that expels fear. it is the strength of God’s love that does it, and we put our trust in that love. if we still fear, John says, it’s because the love hasn’t taken full effect in us. But the fact that love will not coexist with fear is an exciting proposition. That’s because God’s love is utterly unconditional. it is ours no matter how we respond.

Lord, let Your love cast out our fear, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Andy Mast, used by permission. Thanks, Andy, and God bless you.