If you were to ask the average person what prohibition is found more than any other in Scripture, you would most likely hear responses like these: Don’t steal. Don’t kill. Don’t lust. Don’t covet.
While these are all reasonable guesses, the actual answer might surprise you. More than any other prohibition in Scripture, God reminds us again and again with this command: “Don’t be afraid!” The great evangelist D. L. Moody had a favorite verse. It was Isaiah 12:2: “I will trust and not be afraid” (NKJV). Moody used to say, “You can travel to heaven first-class or second-class. First-class is, ‘I will trust and not be afraid.’ Second-class is, ‘When I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.’” Jesus desires for us to travel first-class.
In one of my favorite verses in the Bible, Jesus echoes Isaiah 12:2 when He says, “‘Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom’” (Luke 12:32 NKJV). The natural question to ask after hearing these words is, “Why shouldn't I be afraid?” The biblical answer is that we serve a God who is a shepherd, father, and king.
God is our Shepherd. Jesus says, “Do not fear, little flock.” If we are God’s flock, then He is our Shepherd. The idea is that with God as our Shepherd, we have no reason to fear. Not only is God our Shepherd; He is also our Father. Like an earthly father who knows how to give good gifts to his children, our Father in heaven gives good things to His children who ask Him (see Matthew 7:11). We don’t have to be afraid because we have a loving Father in heaven.
God is also our King. Jesus teaches this when He says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God can give us the kingdom because He is the King. If God is our King, then that means He is sovereign and in control. We have nothing to fear.
So, remember this today. God is your Shepherd, Father, and King. You are a part of His little flock, His beloved sheep, and He loves you very much. Because of that, you have no reason to be afraid.
