Throughout the
Bible, the first words that angels utter when they appear on the scene are
“Fear not.” It is important to note that God prepares us to hear His messages
first with the message “Fear not” because our Loving God wants to provide His
comfort and assurance. He lovingly prepares us for what we are to hear next,
what we are to do next.
I had a powerful experience of this “Fear not.” We
were serving a church family in western Montana. We knew that “our Mary,” a
dear saintly woman of the church, was about to die. The message was issued that
we needed to go to the hospital that day if we wanted to say goodbye to her.
When Pastor Charles and I entered the hospital
suite, we saw her husband standing at her bedside and other church family
members there, too. One of them pointed to Mary in the hospital bed, who was
laying on her back, appearing to be in a peaceful sleep.
“Look, she has an angel on her chest, facing
outwards to us. She is reminding us to ‘Fear not’ what is to happen!” I shall
never forget that moment. There was a peace and a calm in that hospital suite.
All of us felt it.
I had not realized until that moment how anxious I had been feeling about what was happening and about to happen. I was not ready to say goodbye to Mary. And yet her time of transition was near. This reminder to “Fear not” reminded us that our God is always tending to our needs and lovingly shepherding us with His comfort and assurance. God is always preparing a way for us. Thanks be to God!
—Belinda Alkula
No comments:
Post a Comment