Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. – Joshua 1:9
This is a very popular Bible verse for the phrase, Be strong and of a good courage;…, but this morning, I was drawn to the phrase …be not afraid. The word afraid in this verse means “to fear; to dread; to be terrified to be terribly shaken.” In the dictionary, it is defined as follows: “to be filled with fear or apprehension, to be filled with concern or regret for an unwanted situation.”
When I read these definitions and think about the times in my life when I encountered unwanted situations, I need to be honest. I was terribly shaken and terrified in those times. At times, I felt overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty and just wanted to give up. It was during these times that I found safety and comfort in my Christian faith. Let me share a few of these moments.
At the Loss of a Loved One
No matter how we slice it, losing a loved one is devastating. Whether it be a sudden and unexpected loss or one that was a long time coming due to illness, it is heartbreaking. I felt lost and faced the uncertainty of tomorrow when I lost my husband. I was suddenly afraid of life and everything in it. A thousand questions went through my mind. Who would take care of me? What will I do now? How will I go on?
During an Unexpected Move
It had been a year before I finally decided it was okay to enjoy life. My family and I had taken a day out of town to enjoy relaxing together and feeling carefree. Upon returning, I was visited by the landlord, who told me that I had less than thirty days to find a place to live because he needed my house! I felt as if a rug had been pulled out from under me. I started to panic! My mind was in a whirl, and frankly, I did not know what to do! What was happening? Is this was how life was going to be now? I was shaken!
Changing Jobs
Even though I had been there for ten years, I had been unhappy in my job for a while. It was a good job with good people, but the sacrifices I needed to make when I had first started working there were no longer relevant. I no longer needed the funds to put children through Christian school. It was completely unnecessary to drive all that way just for a paycheck. I knew that I needed to find a new job that was closer to home. It would be better for my health and less stressful, but I hesitated. Did I really want to make such a big decision? How was I going to find a job that paid the same and was closer to my house? I dreaded having to make a drastic change in my life.
In all of these situations, I experienced some form of fear. It is in our nature to feel this way at times. We are human, and our emotions sometimes get the better of us. However, God tells us that we should not be afraid. It is a command from God. The complete verse reads, Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Everything that happens in our lives happens for a purpose. Circumstances do not take God by surprise; He is in control. Although we may sometimes feel afraid when it seems as though everything is falling apart, we need to remember what He says in this verse—…be not afraid,.. He is basically telling us, “I am telling you that I’ve got this! Do not worry!” If we will just learn to take a step back during the times that shake us up the most and remember this commandment from God, we can live a life without fear!
by April Hernandez
