Over and over again, Jesus told his disciples and others to fear not. In the Gospels, it says "fear not" eleven times and "be not afraid" seven times. Jesus, even in His human body, was not afraid to get around sick people or lepers. When He healed the leper, Jesus touched him to show that He loved him when others would have not touched him, gone near him, or taken the time to love him. Who is to say that Jesus was exempt from sickness? While Jesus was in human flesh, He did not let others' fear stop him from reaching others. Of course we are not Jesus Who can heal. In this time of fear of sickness and disease, we do need to take precaution. We do not want to be foolish, and the world needs to see Christians who are blameless. If it means wearing a mask and taking extra precaution, so be it. During these unsure times, we must be cautious and do what we can to protect ourselves from sickness as long as it is precaution and not fear that drives us. Fear should never trump faith as so many of us, especially me, are prone to do.
At the same time, we can learn much from Jesus. He never let fear stop Him from reaching others. Jesus said we are to be a light to the world, but as the song says, "How can we reach a world we never touch"? I should not let the fear of getting sick keep me from reaching others just as much as I should not let my fear of talking to people stop me from sharing the Gospel. Sometimes in cases like we face today, Christians must be even more creative in reaching people. My church has started a ministry called Operation 3:16, and one of the gifts we pass out to strangers to show God's love is a bottle of hand sanitizer with a card attached that says, "God loves you, and our church does, too." Sometimes it takes a little creativity to reach others in a world of social distancing.
God can do mighty works even in the midst of trouble and trial, yet too many times we try to place God in a box and limit His work. It takes faith to see God work. God is still just as much at work today as He was in Bible times. I have seen God work even in the midst of trial. He has been at work in my home church. We have seen people join, people become faithful who were not before, and souls come to know Jesus as their Savior. Would we have seen these blessings if we had let fear hinder us? Probably not. I do not want to just hear these kind of stories, I want to see them and live them. It takes faith to leave the outcome to Him. That is all we can do - do our part to reach others and leave the results to Him.
Jesus had His disciples around Him quite a few times when He healed people. It is like He told them, "Watch me work." He is still telling us today, "Watch me work," for He is still in the working business. Are you in a place where you can watch God work? We must put ourselves in a place where we can see Him work. Please do not let fear stop you from seeing the great, mighty, and impossible done. It takes faith and prayer, for Jeremiah 33:3 says, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."
I do not know about you, but I am tired of letting fear stop me from reaching others. Let us be a people of faith and courage who watch God work great and mighty things.
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