Fear Not - The Wesleyan Church

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” (Matt. 28:5)

Can we be fearless Christians? More than sixty times in the Scripture people are instructed not to be afraid.

Brady Boyd tells about playing on the varsity baseball team at his high school in east Texas. A bunch of seniors had messed up in some way, and the coach threw them off the team, making room for Brady, a lowly freshman. This decision did not make many of the upperclassmen happy.

One day after practice, after the coach went into the gym, some of the older boys grabbed Brady, bound his hands, and put a rope around his neck. They dragged him across the baseball field and up a hill. He thought he was going to die. When they untied him, he had a big red gash around his neck as if he’d been hanged.

At home, he covered up his neck, embarrassed and humiliated that he had been the target of bullying. That night, coming out of the bathroom, his brother saw the gash and told his dad. Brady’s father would not let him go to school the next day but went himself instead. Brady never knew what his dad said, but he was never bullied again. He said he felt like David, who wrote, “I will fear no evil! My dad is with me!” (Ps. 23:4, paraphrased).

Whatever you’re going through, fear not. God is with you.

Trust God to help you overcome your fear.

Ron McClung lives in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife Carol. He has written his weekly column, Positive Perspective, for more than thirty years.