Day 23: Psalms 91:5

"You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day..."

Day 22: Haggai 2:5

"This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear."

Day 21: Deuteronomy 3:22

"Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you."

Day 20: Psalms 27:1

"The Lord is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?"

Day 19: Jeremiah 1:8

"'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord. "

Day 18: Numbers 14:9

"Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

These folks get it!

Here's a group of friends whose faith empowers them! They hear God telling us "Do not be afraid," and they're wearing their "brave hearts" on their color coordinated sleeves!

Day 17: 2 Chronicles 20:17

"You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you."

Day 16: Revelation 1:17

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.'"

Day 15: Jeremiah 42:11

"Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands."

Day 14: Genesis 21:17

"God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.'"

Day 13: Exodus 20:20

"Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.'"

Day 12: Isaiah 35:4

"Say to those who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.'"

Day 11: Acts 18:9

"One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.'"

Day 10: Deuteronomy 20:1

"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you."

Day 9: John 14:27

"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."

Day 8: Genesis 15:1

"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.'"

Day 7: Revelation 2:10

"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life."

Day 6: 1 Peter 3:13-15

"Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in you hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..."

Day 5: Matthew 10:28

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Not just a daily verse

First off, let me confess that if someone in my small group had not suggested I blog my daily "do not fear" findings, I may not have gone past day two. But now accountability has been built into this project, and I am committed to seeing it through. There - now that I've posted that, I can't quit, right?

As I embark on this year-long journey, weaving through God's Word, I see it as a treasure hunt or quest. I am armed with a map and clues and a plan. Each day I look up "afraid" or "fear" or some other synonym or variation in the concordance at the back of my Bible, and I choose a reference which seems contextually appropriate, then "Voila!" - I uncover the gem and post it. But the discovery of each verse is only part of the exercise. To help me meditate on the specific passage I look at any pertinent footnotes and cross references. The Life Application Bible is great for this because it has both of these features. I love following a trail of cross-referenced verses and seeing where I end up! (And trying to figure out how to get back to where I started!)

Here at the outset of this odyssey, it's quite simple to find the verses I seek. And when I've exhausted my Bible's concordance, I'll move on to a more comprehensive one. And I'll check out different Bible translations. And I'll use cross references to find more. But I expect that along the way it will get harder and harder to find all 365 verses I'm looking for. Obviously, the more I check off, the fewer there are left. What now seems like a joyous Easter egg hunt in a green meadow may at some point become more like searching for a needle in a haystack (or a library book in my daughter's bedroom!). But I'll leave it to God to guide me, and I'll comment on my experience as I go along. I'm certainly not above contacting Mark Richt at UGA and asking him to defend his claim!

To my readers, I welcome you along on my journey. Please make this as much or as little as you need or want it to be. If you're just curious to see how it turns out, check back every now and again and see how I'm doing. If you'd like to cheer me on to the finish, come on along for the ride. If you like reading a daily Bible verse, subscribe to the blog, and every day you'll be encouraged to "fear not." Or use these verses, daily or occasionally, as a starting point for your personal Bible study or quiet time with the Lord. I pray that you will indeed be blessed.

Day 4: Isaiah 41:10

"[F]ear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Day 3: Luke 1:30

"And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.'"

Day 2: Matthew 14:27

"But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.'"

Day 1: 1 Chronicles 28:20

"Then David said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.'"