FEAR NOT for January 6, 2017

Genesis 46:3  "And he said, I am God, the God of your father: do not fear to go down into Egypt; for there I will make you a great nation"

BACKGROUND and COMMENTARY by Chuck Smith (blueletterbible.org):  [Jacob] was going to see his beloved son Joseph. He had thought that his son was dead, now he discovers that he is not only alive, but he is ruling over Egypt. He has come to Beersheba, perhaps now as they have come to the border of the promised land and must face the arduous part of the journey the Negev wilderness that they must pass through to get to Egypt, that Jacob begins to have apprehensions. This can not be an easy trip for a man 130 years old. Fear begins to take hold and he hesitates, and builds an altar to sacrifice to the Lord. He was leaving the security of the familiar places that often afford a certain amount of security to journey to a foreign land. It is quite possible that fear began to grip his heart, he is leaving a place of security to journey to an unknown and uncertain future. He decides to build an altar and offer sacrifices to the Lord. It is then that God said to him, "Fear not."

PERSONAL APPLICATION:  God does not want his children to fear. The Bible tells us that fear has torment. God does not want to see you tormented by fear. Fear makes you unhappy [while] God wants His children to have fullness of joy. Fear has a way of enervating you, it is very debilitating. It can keep you from moving out into new ventures. How [did] the Lord remove[d] his fears? He called him by his name, "Jacob, Jacob." It is comforting to know that God knows my name. He assured [Jacob] of who He was. "I am God, the God of your fathers." God gave him wonderful promises of the future. It is the unknown future that so often causes our fears. God is promising that he will make of Jacob a great nation in Egypt. Then God promised to go with him. The consciousness of God's presence should always dispel fear.

ARE YOU TODAY STANDING AT A CROSSROADS IN YOUR LIFE? Are you paralyzed by fear? Your Father in heaven does not want you to fear. If you can hear His voice, He is calling you by name. He is promising to go with you and be with you. This is one of the great benefits of being a child of God. We can face life with confidence. We can have that assurance that wherever we go, God will be with us, helping us, and He will work out his perfect plan in our lives.