Reassurance from the Lord
by Pastor Steve Liersch
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people’ (Acts 18:9,10).
Read Acts 18:1–11
A quick phrase search for ‘Do not be afraid’ on Bible Gateway brings up 80 results. It is found in 28 different books of the Bible. In other words, it is a consistent theme that runs throughout. Most of them are spoken by God to his people, Jesus to his followers or relayed to others via one of his messengers, for example, the angel to Mary or the prophet to his audience.
When Paul was in Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you …’. It would seem the logical thing for Paul to do at that point would be to speak about Jesus, knowing that God had his back, so to speak. God had placed enough people around the city to ensure that Paul would have someone whom God had put into different situations to keep watch on Paul so that trouble and persecution would not happen. In other words, Jesus could be spoken about, and God’s love shared with relative peace.
Here in Australia, we enjoy freedom of speech, our churches aren’t burned down, our pastors aren’t arrested for sharing the gospel, and our schools and aged-care facilities are given the licence to openly promote Christianity. It’s like these words are being relived as a blessing from God for us to enjoy.
However, we also know that many places are not so fortunate. Persecution of Christians is worse now than it has ever been – just visit the Voice of the Martyrs website for proof.
‘Do not be afraid’ are God’s words of reassurance to you again today. After all, what’s the worst that can happen: you get persecuted or – worse – killed for speaking about Jesus? Then what? – you go to heaven – sooner than you would have preferred? Still, don’t be afraid. God is with you each day.
Reflect on a time when you were confident of God’s promise to not be afraid. What was it like? Thank him for what you learned from it.
Ever-present God, thank you for your ongoing protection and promise that we are never alone because you are with us always. Help us to be confident of living boldly for you each day. Amen.
Pastor Steve Liersch and his wife are almost empty nesters as their three adult children explore the world with work. They live in the southern coastal suburbs of Perth near Rockingham. Steve enjoys gardening, watching sports – especially Port Power and cricket – playing sudoku and catching up with friends. Sharing God’s love with others is still ranked as his top thing to do.
- Click here to read previous devotions.
- We are also posting them on LCA Facebook, making it easy for you to share them with family and friends.
- Sign up to receive Daily Devotion in your inbox every morning. If you’re already doing that, please encourage others to sign up. Click here for the link.
