He says not to....but I still do...I am SO like my kids.

But many people do apparently. I looked up the phrase "How many times does the Bible say Do Not Fear?" What was amazing was not just the varied answers (several said 365 times - 1 for each day of the year) but how many other people were looking for that same answer. Whether the 365 times is true or not....

We are afraid. We want comfort - so we are Googling it.

I was actually just trying to get a grip on why we fear, and why God felt he needed to reassure us as much as he does. Because - I am afraid. There are days where I don't even really know what I am afraid of. My head and my heart are telling me there is nothing to fear, and yet there is a faint aroma of fear that lingers...yesterday was one of those days.

I woke up unsettled. Did my Bible reading and devotional, went to work, came home, cooked dinner cleaned up and felt this haunting - All. Day. Long.

I listened to the news yesterday morning for the first time in a very long time - it was scary. With Egypt in chaos and now Jordan - I was immediately assaulted with fear. We close on the refinancing of our house next week. I am scared. Something might go wrong, what if it is more than we think, should we ave done this in the first place? Then there was some really nasty, rainy weather, I was a nervous wreck all the way home. Physically exhausted when I got home from the tight gripping of the wheel and tense defensive driving I had to do in that 5:00 rush hour. Yuck. What punctuated it all was when I was tucking my youngest into bed and he told me he was scared. I asked him of what and he said he was scared a robber was going to come into our house. I reassured him the best I could...but at that time, I did not even give him the best reassurance I could have. My own perplexity at my fear had me spouting common sensical phrases that seemed to work at the time and I threw out - God will take care of us. I know he will and yet - I still struggled so much yesterday. How can I relate this to my child?

I looked up the phrase "do not be afraid" on Biblegateway.com. I have not had time to research it all but it is said over and over and over again.

John 14 is when Jesus is preparing his disciples for his leaving. In the chapter before he has predicted Judas' betraying and told his beloved Peter that he would deny him three times (out of fear). So now he is laying down his words of comfort for the men who followed him more closely than anyone else while he had his ministry here on earth.

John 14
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Peace I leave with you - Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. What wonderful phrases. And our Advocate - the Holy Spirit will teach and remind when needed of all these things Jesus said. He left us with The Comforter. The believer's own baby blanket. When things are scary - we need to remember we have The Comforter.

I am well acquainted with fear. 2009 and 2010 brought things that I feared very much. There are other things that are even scarier to me. I think the fact that I saw some of my top 10 fears come to pass causes that fear to try to settle and become a part of my existence. BUT - what I also saw in the midst of those scary things is how God brought us through. How he held us up. And how we are still here and thriving - even happily in spite of the scary things....and it bears me up.

In John 16 - Jesus is still trying to comfort his disciples and prepare them for his death - I believe strongly that he left these words with his disciples and that they penned them because he wanted us - also his disciples - to have these same comforting words.

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

I love this verse. First of all because God is warning us that this world is going to be trouble. We see it every day. But he reassures us of his peace - we CAN have it. In the midst of the trouble - he is promising us peace and that we have a sure hope - in the fact that HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD (and its trouble).

Wow.

Read 2 Corinthians 5:4-21
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2 Corinthians+5:4-&version=NIV