July 19th - Acts 18:9–10

Acts 18:9–10 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” Throughout the Bible we hear God telling people not to be afraid. When God made a covenant with Abram, the father of the nation of Israel, he spoke to him in a vision and said: “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great” (Genesis 15:1). Later, we meet Joshua after the death of Moses and God said to him: “This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Much later, we hear the angel telling a young girl called Mary that she should not be afraid when she is told that she will bear the Son of God (Luke 1:30). The command not to be afraid reminds us how damaging fear can be. God knows that we cannot be effective in serving him unless we overcome the problem of fear. Our verses today come at a time when the apostle Paul had had a great deal of experience of living for God. He had faced many struggles and much intense opposition, but God knew that fear was still an issue and so he spoke to him in a vision to give him assurance. God didn’t merely tell him not to fear but reminded him that he would always be with him. He also gave him the encouragement that there were people in that busy, cosmopolitan city of Corinth who belonged to him. Paul wouldn’t be alone as he ministered in that famously immoral city. Fear takes many forms, and it can creep up on us at any time. It may be a fear of what other people think of us or a fear of failure, loss, ill-health or death. Just because you are normally a confident person doesn’t mean that you are impervious to fear. The answer is that we need to look to God and hand over our fears to him, reminding ourselves that he is with us and will never leave us. Question What are you most fearful of at the moment? What are you doing with that fear? Prayer Loving Father, thank you that you understand me so well and that you are able to give me the strength to face up to any fears. Amen