Devotional Reading from the Daily Common Lectionary: Luke 1: 1-25

Text: But the angel said, “Be not afraid, Zechariah…”

Be not afraid. Time and time again we read those words in the Bible.

I’m a naturally skittish person. I always have been. For as long as I can remember I have been afraid of something or other. All of my fears have been groundless, but my fears have kept me from taking chances that resulted in missed opportunities. Fear does that to us. It freezes us in place.

“God did not give us the spirit of timidity, or cowardice or fear,” the amplified bible says. “But of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline and self-control.”

Be not afraid, God is with you.

Lord God, remove all fear from me. Fill me with a childlike faith that trusts in You, without question or fear. Amen.

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