This is one of the most frequent phrases said in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. It would seem as if God knows that we are weak in faith and belief. That for almost every single thing the characters are called by Him to do so, God or Jesus would utter a variation of this phrase:
‘Do not fear.’
‘Do not worry.’
‘Cast your anxiety on him.’
And the most common of all, ‘Do not be afraid.’
The most famous being in John 6 where the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and were terrified.
‘When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them. A strong wind was blowing, and the sea grew agitated.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,c they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea — and they were terrified. But Jesus spoke up: “It is I; do not be afraid.”’
Perhaps it is instinctive to fear and to worry when one is facing drastic changes in their lives, or when one is thrown into deep and unfamiliar waters suddenly, or one is called by God to make a decision that could change their life.
It is only in our moments of weaknesses where we are highly aware of our frailty and vulnerability, that we are drawn to God to seek assurances from Him. We have no one and nothing else to depend on, but to only draw on our deep faith and belief in Him. We turn to Him and surrender to Him and He knows. Hence, the assurance to comfort us that He is always there for us. In trusting and having faith in Him, He will help us embrace who we truly are and help us grow in Him.
And so in Psalm 62, David cries out:
He alone is my rock and my salvation.
He is my fortress;
I will never be shaken.
Not once, but twice. To re-affirm his faith in the Lord.
So likewise, we must constantly remind ourselves that God is always there for us, not only in times of need. But also in good times. We need to remind ourselves and acknowledge Him for helping us, and blessing us with what we have in good times for it is because of Him, that we are able to achieve all that we have achieved.
Without Him, we are nothing, for He is our creator, our Lord.
