Being afraid is nothing new to the human experience. The Bible also shows us that in the middle of our fears, we are never alone. God is with us. There is such power in this promise from our Creator!
Whenever angels visit humans, their first words are almost always the same. They say, “Do not be afraid.” As humans, fear is a common first response to an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation. Throughout the Bible, angels first calm the anxieties of their listeners so that the rest of their words can be heard.
Angels show up in the early chapters of Luke several times, and each time the initial message is, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 1:13, Luke 1:30, Luke 2:10). At the time of these angelic encounters, Zachariah, Mary, and the shepherds were all in the midst of significant life events! It is normal and expected that they would be experiencing some fear. God meets them right where they are and calms their anxieties. God does the same for us. Our Creator meets us right where we are, in the middle of whatever we are facing and says, “Do not be afraid.”
This message is excerpted from “Fear in the Bible” by Emily Carson in the November 2021 Café online magazine.
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