~This is just one line from the song sweetly sung by my cousin Sara in our church's Children's Christmas musical one year. She not only sang beautifully, but Sara was the cutest little lamb you ever did see! While Sara actually dressed the part, I believe we're all more like vulnerable little lambs than we'd like to admit. Why else would God repeat over and over- "Fear not! Do not be afraid!"
"Fear Not!" -For God is Loving
Hosea 13:1-14:9
"The Lord says, 'I will forgive them for leaving me and will love them freely, because I am not angry with them anymore.'" (Hosea 14:4)
Kids and puppies are the best example of this, although we really all do this to some degree. (It's just more comfortable to look at an example outside of ourselves first. ;o) Both kids and puppies do something wrong- mess up the house or make too much noise or take something they shouldn't have, and what happens? As soon as they recognize what they did was wrong, they've heard that slightly rising tone.... "Kaaatiiiiiiieeeee..." All of a sudden, it's a vanishing act! They've disappeared! Unfortunately, it's not out of sight and out of mind, so they are usually sought out.
But, they are afraid of going to the person they have disobeyed, disappointed, and hurt. So, they keep away. Not a very helpful strategy, but unfortunately I must admit I do this all the time. I think we doubt peoples' loving and forgiving nature. "Will they really forgive me? I feel so bad. Going to them will only make things worse." But with God, there is not reason to fear a reaction of guilt and shame and anger. God is loving and forgiving, and "not angry with [us] anymore."
"Fear Not!"- For God is Watching
Psalm 140:1-5
"Lord, guard me from the power of wicked people; protect me from cruel people who plan to trip me up. The proud hid a trap for me. They spread out a net beside the road; they set traps for me." (Psalm 140:4-5)
I'm reminded of "Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day"- something we can all relate to. A day when nothing seems to go right at all for no apparent reason. Well, sometimes it seems like the world is against us. People are trying to catch us in our mistakes, the world makes doing the right thing seem impossible... or just plain "weird." Well, "Never fear! God is here!" God promises that we'll never be tested beyond what we can bare (1 Corinthians 10:13). So God while we may suffer some "terrible horrible no good very bad days," God will guard us from "too terrible horrible no good very bad days."
"Fear Not!"- For God is Great!
Revelation 1:1-20 (New book!)
"The Lord God says, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty.'" (Revelation 1:8)
Wow, the Alpha and the Omega! The beginning and the end! (Reminds me of yesterday's lesson.) Well, it's true... if God is everything, then there is absolutely nothing to fear. Past, present, future- God is all encompassing... we cannot even fear anything in the future. Lord, let us all remember during this stressful and anxious time of the semester that we little lambs have nothing to fear, not even the dark.
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