With the LORD on my side I do not fear.
(Psalm 118.6 NRSV)
When Sue's husband was seriously ill and undergoing surgery, she was filled with anxiety. "Oh, I'm so afraid!" she cried to a friend. The friend nodded, gave her a knowing smile, and then asked her this: "Do you know how many times the Scriptures say, 'Fear not,' or 'Do not be afraid'?" Sue shook her head, “No.” "It's a very curious number," her friend continued, "three hundred and sixtyfive times."

Sue was surprised. "But that's . . . "

"Yes, one for each day of the year," her friend said, finishing her sentence.

There is one 'Fear not,' for every day of the year. A coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But God does not want His people to be afraid. "Why are you troubled?" Jesus asked his disciples, "and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see... And when he had spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet." Jesus wanted his disciples to know that it was all real. He was alive. Death had been conquered. The Gospel is true.

“Fear not.”

Loving God, help me not to fear but to trust in you. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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