Encouragement

Fear Not

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Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Some of our dearest friends at times pooh-pooh our fears. They insist we are silly and unreasonable about the things that make us lie awake at night. But did you know that God takes our fears very seriously? In fact God tells us 150 times in the Bible. “Fear not!” Rather than lecturing us God offers us a promise, a reminder and a solution. He has promised to be with us. He doesn’t tell us;”Take three of these, drink lots of water and call me in the morning.” No God promises to constantly remain at our side. He is there through our sleepless nights and stays close when we are afraid. Next, God reminds us that not only will He be with us but that He will strengthen us. He will pour out on us the oil and wine of His presence when we have been wounded and carries us when we can’t go on. Last of all our God is a practical God. When the apostle Peter tried walking out on the water toward Jesus we are told that he became afraid and started to sink. I am so glad that Jesus didn’t just stand with his arms folded saying, “Come on Peter you can do it!”

No! We are told that as Peter began to sink Jesus immediately reached down and took his hand. I am so glad that on days when I feel I am sinking that He helps me to walk all through this year with all 150 “Fear Nots”!

Going through Samaria

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But He needed to go through Samaria John 4:4

In Jesus’ day Jews rarely went by way of Samaria. We could speculate that Jesus needed to go through Samaria to avoiding the Jewish leaders or maybe just because it was shorter and he was tired! We don’t know the reason but we can all identify with having to go somewhere that we would prefer to avoid.

Samaria was a bit like the business district we go around so we don’t get stuck in traffic. It could be a job you don’t like or a family commitment that is getting heavier every day. You may have to sit by the bedside of a loved one for whom the doctors have to hope. There could be a surgery or a crushing debt that must be paid looming on your horizon. All of our Samarias are different but the one thing they each have in common is that we must go through them.

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It is comforting to know at those times of trial, temptation and weariness that Jesus doesn’t just command us to keep going, He has gone ahead of us to prepare the way. Jesus had to go through Samaria because Samaria is where he found you and I. Samaria is where He gave us hope. Samaria is where we discovered we could be accepted by God. Samaria is the place Jesus chose to go and He calls for us to go with Him through our own Samaria today.