Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. (Rev. 1:17)
While Guadalupe washed dishes, her ten-year-old son ran into the kitchen. “Mom, I saw an angel last night. He told me not to be afraid.”
She remembered her son’s labored breathing the night before. She had finished reading a Bible story to him, snuggled close, and talked with him until he fell asleep. Thinking he might stop breathing, she prayed for him.
“What did the angel look like?” asked Guadalupe.
“He had a long white robe that went all the way to his feet and a golden sash around his waist.”
“Did you see his face?”
“No. The light was too bright.”
“What did his voice sound like?”
“Soothing, like a river.”
Guadalupe told her son how he had struggled to breathe and that she had prayed for him and trusted God to take care of him.
Awed by the similarity of her son’s story and John’s testimony in Revelation 1, Guadalupe thanked God for a glimpse of His glory. She realized that just as Jesus had calmed John’s fear, He had done the same for her and her son. When Jesus says, “Do not be afraid,” we can trust Him to relieve our worries and bring peace.
Look for glimpses of God’s glory, remembering they are not causes for us to be afraid.
Sue Tornai lives with her husband, John, and dog, Maggie, in Carmichael, California. They enjoy camping and fishing at Lake Almanor in Northern California
