Do not be afraid

One night Paul had a vision in which the Lord said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, but keep on speaking and do not give up, for I am with you. No one will be able to harm you, for many in this city are my people.’ So Paul stayed there for a year and a half, teaching the people the word of God. (verses 9-11)

Read Acts 18:1-11

John was visiting another church one Sunday and he was surprised to see one of his workmates there with his family. He felt even more surprised when he read in the pew bulletin that his mate was a leader in the congregation. They had worked together for eleven years and neither knew that the other was a believer. Their workplace wasn’t the kind of place where people spoke openly about their faith, and so both kept quiet and hid their true identity. They had been afraid of what others might say.

Paul had been afraid to speak openly about Jesus at this particular time, and he needed to be reassured that he was not alone. God gave him that assurance, and so Paul went on to gather many people there for the Lord.

Never forget that God is with you and that he promises to be there when you are afraid of what people may say. He can make you bold.

Heavenly Father, make me bold in my witness to others. Take all fear out of my heart and help me to honour my Saviour by speaking about him to all those I mix with. Amen.

by Len Tscharke, in ‘Guidance for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2002)

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