EL CAJON, Calif. (BP) – An oft-heard phrase about living in our world today states that the problem with daily living is that it is so daily. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities into our lives, and even though we like to think we are in control, some things are beyond our ability to control or even manage successfully.
At times this lack of control can cause us to worry not only about the events of the day but also about the future and what it holds for us. But as Christians, we can live in absolute certainty about the future because of one event in history that provides our release from the toils of this life – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In Matthew 27, the slain body of the Lord Jesus was deposited in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea in a cemetery outside Jerusalem. Jewish officials asked for an official contingent of soldiers to secure the tomb. Pilate replied, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.”
Matthew records, “So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.”
Three days later, the security system was breached, the seal broken, the guard circumvented, and the stone rolled way. The tomb was empty – the greatest security breach of all time had just occurred. Yet that event gives lasting security to all God’s people. Remember what Jesus and His angels kept saying to the women and disciples who were flummoxed on that Easter Sunday? Fear not… fear not… fear not…!
The fear nots of the Bible signify one of our greatest sources of comfort. If you’re feeling worried, anxious, afraid or insecure about something today, claim one of these verses:
- Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God – my God – will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you (1 Chronicles 28:20).
- Do not fret – it only causes harm (Psalm 37:8).
- Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God (Isaiah 41:10).
- Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock (Isaiah 44:8).
- Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:31).
Fear Not Tomorrow
We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but one thing is guaranteed – God’s overarching care for His children. We can be assured of His presence and His promises. In a world where nothing seems certain and unchangeable, He is our constant companion.
Battling anxiety, Ruth Graham, the daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, wrote: “We had not talked much about the circumstances of my struggle. Mother just intuitively knew I might need … a reminder that God was working on our lives and that He cared about the future,” so she sent me the message that stood above her desk during my childhood. “Holding that print, I felt the words penetrate my heart and mind, almost as if I had never seen them before, as if they were a message written directly to me. I read them again slowly: ‘Fear not tomorrow, God is already there.’”[1]
James told us, “You do not know what will happen tomorrow…. You ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (James 4:14-15). We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow – we find peace in that knowledge.
Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). That verse comes at the end of a long string of our Lord’s “Do not worry” statements: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry … Which of you by worrying … So why do you worry … Therefore do not worry … Therefore do not worry….” (Matthew 6:25-34).
With Jesus we have 100 percent security, and no one can ever breach the perimeters of His love. He surrounds us with His favor like a shield. Remind yourself of His promises. Review the verses in this article. Search out your own “Do not fear” passages in the Scripture. And rely on Him with 100 percent of your faith for 100 percent of your life throughout 100 percent of your tomorrows. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, ESV).
[1]Ruth Graham, Fear Not Tomorrow, God Is Already There (New York: Howard Books, 2009), 1-2.
