Grace in Two Small Words

 

“Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help ye, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." -Isaiah 41:14 [KJV]

This text gives us grace in two small words.
What are the 2 words?
They are, “Fear Not.”

In the Middle East there is an ancient fable that Pestilence met a caravan on the way to Baghdad.
“Why must you travel to Baghdad?” asked the Caravan Master. “To take five thousand lives,” he answered. 
On the way back Pestilence again met the caravan.
“You deceived me,” said the Caravan master. “You took 50,000 lives.”
“No,’ insisted Pestilence. ‘I took 5,000 lives. Fear killed the rest.”

That is a fable.
But, here’s a fact … fear kills.

At one time or another, most of us have been gripped with fear. It’s no wonder then that these two words, ‘Fear Not’ are found frequently throughout the scriptures.  In fact, the phrases, "Fear not" or "Be not afraid", occur more than 100 times in the King James Bible.

In all our fears may we learn to look to Jesus. He is the antidote to fear, anxiety and worry.

When the Lord applies these two words ‘fear not’ to our hearts, they sustain and support us. 

Consider the context of our verse. The people of Israel had just found out they were going to be sent into captivity to Babylon. They needed a word from the Lord, and He gave it … “Fear Not!” The Lord was on their side. Consider this; if the Lord is on our side, all must eventually be well.

The Lord is all-sufficient for every emergency and each need.  In Christ we lack nothing. In Christ, we are graced with all-sufficient, spiritual blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). In Christ, we have enough to meet every necessity. 

"Fear not."

“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.” -Wm. Cowper
 
Notice how the people of Israel are called worms yet the Lord has grace for them. And that’s the way it is with us. Jesus takes us at our worst and gives us grace. If He only took notice of us when we were great and continually strong, we would perish. But the Lord looks at us in our lowest … when we are down in the depths and gives us grace. Fear not!

These two words, ‘Fear Not’ revive, restore and renew us. He is not scolding us … He’s NOT saying, ”Here you!! You’d best fear not! Now get it straight!” No! He says … “Fear not, I will help you. I, Yahweh will support you."


We look at the future and there seems to be a mountain of rugged obstacles fast approaching us … But, here’s the good news. God is the God of the mountains. He is with us, no matter what we are going through. Fear Not!

Because of the shed blood of Calvary there is no longer separation between us and God. There are no mountains of division. As Paul says, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Fear not, Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.

“And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God has willed
His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim—
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
Two little words shall fell him.”—Martin Luther

Fear Not!

And that’s the Gospel Truth!


-preacher D. G. Miles McKee

http://milesmckee.com/

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