Day 84: Jeremiah 46:27

"But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear, Nor be dismayed, O Israel! For, see, I am going to save you from afar, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be undisturbed And secure, with no one making {him} tremble. "

Day 83: Jeremiah 30:10

"'Fear not, O Jacob My servant,' declares the LORD, 'And do not be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar And your offspring from the land of their captivity. And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease, And no one will make him afraid.'"

Day 82: Isaiah 54:14

"In righteousness you will be established; You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear; And from terror, for it will not come near you."

Day 81: Isaiah 51:7

"Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, A people in whose heart is My law; Do not fear the reproach of man, Nor be dismayed at their revilings."

Day 80: Isaiah 44:2

"Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, 'Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen."

Day 79: Isaiah 43:5

"Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west."

Day 78: Mark 5:36

"But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, 'Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.'"

Day 77: Luke 2:8-20

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them." KJV

Merry Christmas!

Day 76: Matthew 1:18-25

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew:
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.' Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,' which translated means, 'GOD WITH US.' And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."

Day 75: Psalms 56:4

"In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can {mere} man do to me?"

Day 74: Isaiah 43:1

"But now, this is what the Lord says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'" (NIV)

Day 73: Jeremiah 46:28

"'O Jacob My servant, do not fear,' declares the LORD, 'For I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations Where I have driven you, Yet I will not make a full end of you; But I will correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished.'"

Day 72: Luke 5:8-11

"But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!' For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.' When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him."

Day 71: Isaiah 41:13

"For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.'"

Day 70: Psalms 78:53

"He led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea engulfed their enemies."

Day 69: Matthew 10:26

"Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known."

Day 68: Matthew 10:31

"So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

Day 67: Zechariah 8:15

"So I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear!"

Day 66: Joel 2:22

"Do not fear, beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness have turned green, for the tree has borne its fruit, the fig tree and the vine have yielded in full."

Day 65: 1 John 4:18-21

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also."

Day 64: Deuteronomy 3:2

"But the LORD said to me, 'Do not fear him, for I have delivered him and all his people and his land into your hand; and you shall do to him just as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lives at Heshbon.'"

Day 63: Deuteronomy 1:29-31

"Then I said to you, 'Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.'"

Day 62: Luke 1:13

"But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.'"

Day 61: Deuteronomy 1:21

"See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

Day 60: Deuteronomy 1:17

"You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God's. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it."

Day 59: Numbers 21:34

"But the LORD said to Moses, 'Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.'"

Discernment v. Fear: A Christian Response to "The Golden Compass"

Twenty days till Christmas, but only two days till the opening of the much-publicized movie, "The Golden Compass," based on the first book in atheist Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy. The warnings and hype surrounding this new release are reminiscent of the response to "The DaVinci Code" a few years ago. Controversies like this always put me somewhat ill at ease - what do we as Christians do with these morally or theologically flawed books and movies? Do we ban them from our homes? Do we close our eyes and refuse to look? Do we wring our hands and wait for the controversy to go away? Do we feel threatened? Do we cause an uproar?


Thank you to Cindy Kusmer for pointing me toward an article from Christianity Today entitled "Fear Not the Compass." Perhaps it will be helpful to you, as it was to me, in identifying some areas where knee-jerk fear can be replaced with a more thoughtful and discerning response. It's worth a read.

See my November 8 posting on GottaWearShades for other links regarding "The Golden Compass."

Day 58: 2 Kings 6:16

"So he answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.'"

Day 57: 1 Kings 17:13

"Then Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring {it} out to me, and afterward you may make {one} for yourself and for your son.'"

Day 56: 2 Samuel 13:28

"Absalom commanded his servants, saying, 'See now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, "Strike Amnon," then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.'"

Day 55: Isaiah 44:8

"Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

Day 54: 2 Samuel 9:7

"David said to him, 'Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.'"

Day 53: 1 Samuel 12:20

"Samuel said to the people, 'Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.'"

Day 52: Ruth 3:11

"Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence."

Day 51: Judges 6:23

"The LORD said to him, 'Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.'"

Day 50: Joshua 10:8

"The LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.'"

Day 49: Joshua 8:1

"Now the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land."

Day 48: Deuteronomy 31:7-8

"Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, 'Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.'"

Day 47: Luke 1:13

"But the angel said to him: 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.'"

Day 46: Isaiah 54:4

"Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood."

Day 45: Genesis 26:24

"That night the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.'"

Day 44: Psalms 46:1-3

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Day 43: Acts 27:21-26

"After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: 'Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, "Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you." So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.'"

Day 42: Joel 2:21

"Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things."

Day 41: Joshua 10:25

"Joshua said to them, 'Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.'"

Day 40: Jeremiah 17:5-11

"This is what the Lord says: 'Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.' The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? 'I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.' Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means. When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.'

Day 39: Luke 12:32

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."

Day 38: Psalms 23:4

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." KJV

Day 37: Genesis 35:17

"And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife said to her, 'Don't be afraid, for you have another son.'"

Day 36: Isaiah 12:2

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."

Day 35: Lamentations 3:57

"You came near when I called you, and you said, 'Do not fear.'"

Day 34: Philippians 1:27-28

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God. "

Day 33: Luke 21:9

"When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."

Day 32: Psalms 3:6

"I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side."

Day 31: Romans 8:15

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

Day 30: Exodus 14:13

"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.'"

Day 29: Zechariah 8:13

"As you have been an object of cursing among the nations, O Judah and Israel, so will I save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong."

Day 28: Hebrews 13:1-9

Until today, I've been limiting my daily postings to just one verse, occasionally 2 or 3 for the sake of context. But to isolate Hebrews 13:6 deprives one of the rich teaching on either side of it. This passage is incredibly powerful, especially to me, especially today. So along with encouragement not to fear, I offer these scriptural reminders of Godly priorities, practices and truth. I have quoted the Revised Standard Version because the contemporary translation "without knowing it" simply does not have the same grammatical grace and charm as the term "unawares." :-)
Blessings to you, Eleanor

"Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled; for God will judge the immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, 'I will never fail you nor forsake you.' Hence we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?' Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace...'

Day 27: Genesis 21:17-18

"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. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.'"

Day 26: Nehemiah 4:14

"After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, 'Don't be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.'"

Day 25: Job 5:21

"You will be protected from the lash of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes."

Day 24: 1 Chronicles 22:13

"Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged."

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.'"