Read: Matthew 1:18–25
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 1:20
It is one of the most frequently offered commands in the Bible, “Do not be afraid.” “Do not worry.” “Fear not!” It as if God is continually speaking to children saying, “Everything will be all right, just trust me.” But we are creatures prone to worry and mistrust. And yet, we have uttered the same words to our own children countless times. When a child runs to us with tears in her eyes having skinned her knee, when our teenager experiences his first relational breakup, when the first grandparent dies—without a moment of hesitation we tell our children, “It’s all right, everything will be all right, trust me.” It is as if deep down at the very core of our being we understand and believe the deep truth God speaks to us throughout the Bible. We don’t know the why or how of it, but we can’t shake this feeling that in the end, everything will be all right. God can be trusted. We have nothing to fear.
Do you trust God?
Lord, I try not to show it to others, but I am a deeply fearful person. I am scared by what I know, and by that which remains unknown to me. The world You created seems a dangerous and uncertain place. Left on my own, I do not know that everything will be all right. But You do not wish me to live alone, You desire my life to be yoked to Yours so that I can rest in the trust that You are in charge when I am not…and I can trust that with You all things will be well. Help me, please. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.