Fear Not
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her God’s plan to birth the messiah through her, he told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30 CSB). This command against fear is the most repeated command in the Bible.
Almost every time God or one of his angels appears to a person, he tells that person, “Fear not,” or “Do not be afraid” (see Gen. 15:1, 26:24; Exod. 20:20; Josh. 1:9, 8:1, 10:8, 11:6; Judg. 6:23; Luke 1:13, 30). An admonition against fear also appears throughout many books of both the Old and New Testaments—in historical books, in poetry, in prophecy, in letters.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Over and over, God tells us we don’t need to be afraid. He does this because he knows how present fear can seem—and he knows fear’s potential to distract us from our call in him.
After Gabriel appeared to Mary and greeted her, Luke tells us Mary was “deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be” (Luke 1:29). In other words, she recognized God was about to say something big—to ask something big of her—and it terrified her. And that is why Gabriel immediately told her to not be afraid.
Mary certainly had a lot to be afraid of in this situation. She could fear the physical experience of being pregnant and giving birth. She could fear the social ridicule, the assumptions people would make. She could fear the potential for rejection by Joseph and her family. And then once Jesus was born—what would happen to him? She could fear the responsibility of raising the son of God, and the likelihood of seeing her son struggle and suffer.
But Gabriel’s words must have strengthened her heart, because Mary simply responded, “May it happen to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38).
In this story and throughout scripture, we see primarily two types of fear:
1. fear of dire circumstances (suffering, physical harm, death, loss, etc.)
2. fear in the presence of a holy God (or his angel)
I think we can safely assume Mary had never seen an angel before—so that must have been terrifying. And then to have that angel tell her God’s plan for her life, a plan with so much potential for rejection and suffering—that must have been even more terrifying.
Yet somehow Mary navigated both of these in a way that enabled her to respond in faith to God’s call—and that inspires me deeply. If a young teenage girl, who likely was uneducated and definitely was not filled with the Spirit, could say yes to a truly unbelievable word from God, we can too.
No matter the fear we face, we can hear Mary’s son Jesus whisper to our hearts, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you…Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful” (John 14:27).
As I reflect on Mary’s story, I wonder whether her response points us to one kind of fear the New Testament actually makes room for. The apostle Paul’s version of FOMO (fear of missing out). We see it when Paul writes to the Philippians, “…Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:12-13).
What is this fear and trembling with which we should walk out our lives in Christ? I believe it’s the sobriety of the call of God on our lives. He is working in us to will and work according to his purposes, but we—like Mary—need to bravely say yes.
As Paul advised his spiritual son, Timothy, “…Rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment” (1 Tim. 1:6-7).
The choice to rekindle our gifts, to pursue the purposes of God on our lives, is directly oppositional to the spirit of fear. Fear wants to sideline us, to tell us all the reasons why we can’t succeed, why we should settle for mediocrity. But God gives us what we need to silence fear’s voice—his power, his love, and his wisdom for every situation.
No matter how terrifying the call, the greater fear is the possibility of falling short of what God has called us to. The possibility of missing out on what he wants to do in and through us. And as I’m thinking about fear this Christmas and the role it played in the Christmas story, while also looking ahead to a new year with new adventures, my prayer for myself (and for you) is simply this:
Lord, strengthen our hearts and our resolve so that no fear in our lives can overshadow our choice to say yes to your call—whatever it may be.
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