You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you.  Psalm 91:5-7 NASB

When I am terrified or anxious about something, the last thing I want is for someone to tell me to not be afraid.  The bible tells us in many passages of scripture, “Do not fear”.  Well, I don’t know about you, but there have been many times in my life when that was easier said than done.

But here in Psalm 91 verse 5, it says, “You will not be afraid”.  It doesn’t tell us not to fear, but it says that we will not fear. How does that work? Well, the answer to that is found in Psalm 91:1 which tells us that those of us who choose to live in God’s shelter will abide in His shadow.

I always felt safe in my daddy’s shadow. When I was with him, the monsters that creeped into my room at night stayed at bay. The noises that I heard in the house while I was trying to get to sleep didn’t bother me. As a child, I felt safe as long as my daddy was around. At the tender age of 6, living with my parents wasn’t a choice. Running into their room when I imagined a monster lurking under my bed was a choice. As I got older, I tended to use the run to God method. When things got scary and hectic, I ran to Him.

But in time, I came to realize that if I made the choice to dwell in the shelter of His love that I no longer had to run to Him.  I would abide in His shadow where I was safe. Hence, the whole not being afraid thing.  You see when I was alone in my room as a child at night, my mind could convince me that I was not safe.  It could convince me that if I didn’t make a run for it at that particular moment that it would be too late, the monsters would get me. So, I had to run to my daddy right away. I had to run to him to be protected and safe.  Once I was in my parent’s room, I was safe. I did not fear.

Our scripture passage today tells us that we will not fear. I have come to live this passage out and it is wonderful.  Once we make the choice to live in the shelter of God’s love, we will not fear.  There will be no need for someone to tell us not to fear because we will not be afraid.

When we read the headlines today and see that we have things like home invasions, mass shootings, and military unrest, it is easy to be fearful.  But, when we understand that we are safe when we choose to live in God’s protective embrace, we have no reason to fear and we will not be afraid.

Have a great day!