Do not fear

I’ve heard over and over again, and I know it’s a meme I’ve seen shared that in the Bible God says “Do not fear” 365 times, that is enough for one for each day of the year. With everything going on I’ve been thinking about that, and I decided to look it up. I was thinking Do not fear Bible verses could be a great Bible lesson I could share through text with my 8th-grade girls (my church has joined the many other churches in only meeting online). I found out that statement wasn’t true, but God did say it a lot.

(I stuck a couple of affiliate links down at the bottom of some stuff I’m liking right now for encouragement)

There are Do not fear Bible verses about our enemies

There is a whole category of Do not fear Bible verses about their enemies. God is in charge, and He has plans. Plans that we can’t stop with a small hiccup in the world.

I didn’t end up copying out every single time God said not to fear because he was in charge. My favorite though was a chapter in Deuteronomy.

You know the book we usually skip because it’s a long list of rules and what to do and what not to do, and what to do if you get a skin disease and a whole slew of other things I don’t want to read.

It’s also where Moses is giving his last instructions and at the very end he reminds them “Do not fear because God is before you.” He talks a bit more and then he says again, “Do not fear.”

Anything God repeats is important.

There are many Do not Fear Bible verses where someone reminds a friend not to fear because God is in charge

Joseph reminded his brothers “Do not fear, you intended evil, but God intended good.” That is probably one of my favorite verses in Genesis. Joseph is reflecting on everything that happened in his life, good and bad, and has realized all of it was part of God’s plan to save many people.

Some of the reminders I didn’t include, because it was so specific to the story. Boaz reassures Ruth “Do not fear.”

Jonathan reassures David, “Do not fear, for you will be king.” It didn’t matter that his father was coming for David, God had a plan for David.

David gives final advice to Solomon on his deathbed, “Follow God, do not fear.”

Of course, sometimes it is God reassuring us do not fear terrible circumstances

The book of Lamentations is Jeremiah crying over lost Judah. Famine, disease, and war have come. He has warned them and warned them of all the terrible things to come and no one has listened, and God says, “Do not fear, I have heard your cries from the terrible pit.” God is with us when times are the worst. When it’s scary and you don’t know what is going to happen next.

God told Joseph, “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife, trust me.” That was a huge risk for Joseph too. He would be shunned like her, but he trusted God.

He does not promise it will be pain-free, but He still says “Do not fear.”

In the very last book of the Bible, Revelation, God sends letters to 7 churches, and one he warns “It will be hard, and some of you will die, but DO NOT FEAR. You will wear a crown of victory.”

Yes, it might be hard, and things might not go as we want, but God is there and present with us.

In the end, we have a choice

Where does our trust lie?

Do you trust in the government, and your doctors, and washing your hands, and any and all of the many things we are doing right now because it is a wise thing to do.

Or do you trust God?

I am choosing to trust God. I am choosing to pray, I don’t have the skills to help right now, but I can encourage. That is what I’m choosing today.

I’m choosing to encourage my friends and send them messages when they sit with the sick family.

I’m choosing to encourage my kids when they’re worried about what will happen.

I choose joy.

IF you want your own set of these printable Do Not Fear Bible verses, join my newsletter, it is on the subscriber page which you get access to in the very first email.

I’ve printed a whole bunch of these off to share. I’m thinking of leaving care packages on the doorsteps of a few friends with an encouraging note and a set of these verses.

If I was teaching these Do Not Fear Bible verses in a Sunday School class

I would give each kid one of these cards to start and have them look up the chapter and read it, then share the context of the verse they had. How was God reassuring in the situation?

It would be a great way to realize God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and His message is always the same, “Do not fear, for I am with you.”

A few encouraging things you could pick up

•  Psalms Project– This is the book of Psalms put to song, I’ve got this on my current playlist, this is disc 4 out of a lot, and it’s got a few of my favorite Psalms on it.
• Always be joyful in hope mug– I can’t find my hope tea cup, but I find a good proper cuppa tea always makes my day better