“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you” (31:6)
I used to underline passages in my Bible which spoke to me. I underlined this verse on 13th November 2013 and I wrote beside it what happened on that day. It is the kind of verse, however, that we could have as a fridge magnet or bookmark as it is an eternal truth that we should hold on to. Apparently, we are told 366 times in the Bible not to be afraid. Why not? Our country and our world appears to be on the brink of disaster, our economy could take a nose dive any day. Many countries are suffering more natural disasters than ever before. We surely ought to be afraid.
However, this passage is much more positive than the one we read yesterday. It talks of the kind of life which is assured for those who keep God’s commandments and walk in His ways. The Lord restores those who look to Him. There are some lovely human descriptions of God in this passage. “The Lord has compassion when we turn back to Him” (30:3), “He will delight in you”(30:9). It reminds me of the human father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, who of course was an architype of God. The Father who waited and watched every day for his wayward son to return. When he did, he showed such compassion. By rights the lad should have become a servant if he had been received home at all. The father defied all Jewish laws about dignity and hitched up his robes and ran to meet him. Then he showed his sheer delight in this wayward fellow by giving a feast for him and giving him jewellery and a robe to wear (Luke 15:11-24).
Who would be afraid of this kind of father? Have you seen and felt the love of Father God who treats you like his only child? The Father who longs for your return when you wander away to sow a few wild oats. The Father who leaves everything else which needs to be done, to watch for you coming over the horizon. Then like the best human father, He scoops you up and tells you not to be afraid because He ultimately has everything covered and will bring everything to a conclusion which glorifies Him.
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If this is your experience, resolve now to trust and not be afraid whatever happens. If you have not experienced the love of Father God in this way, ask for a revelation today.