Therefore, We Will Not Fear

Rev. Stephen Crotts writes about a faithful and delightful English woman who kept a personal diary during the Second World War. The diary tells of her husband’s death in the war effort. It tells of food rationing and the horrible bombing of London. It tells of her children’s evacuation to the countryside.

One night in the midst of local bombings, the woman related that she woke up and could not get back to sleep. She kept thinking of Hitler’s invasion and S.S. troops. She trembled until she suddenly thought, “Where is Alexander the Great who gobbled up the world? Where is Caesar’s dogmatic rule, upheld on the tips of spears? Where is Napoleon? They are all in their graves and come to naught,” she wrote. “And that is where Hitler will be, too. The same God reigns!” And she rolled over, laughed, and went back to sleep!

When we read the papers or listen to the news with headlines about corruption, or war, or crime in our cities, it is easy to become gripped with fear. It is easy to become cynical or bitter or pessimistic. But that kind of fear is never productive. That kind of fear never leads to a better life.

In Psalm 46 we read:
God is our refuge and strength,
 a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear…

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Let us pray: O God of today and tomorrow, O God of ages past, we thank you for your faithfulness to us throughout all time. Help us to trust in you—even now—through Jesus Christ. Amen.