This is the basis of our faith: we have confidence and trust fully in God’s love for us and good intentions for our well-being. There is nothing I will need that he won’t provide. The writer of Hebrews asserts this truth in Hebrews 13:6. He writes, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” This is not the first time the book of Hebrews has addressed the idea of confidence. O’Brien observes, “In this confession, the listeners are responding with the boldness that has been urged upon them throughout the discourse. They have already been exhorted ‘to hold firmly to their confidence’ (3:6), ‘approach God’s throne of grace with confidence’ (4:16), ‘have confidence to enter the most holy place’ (10:19), and ‘not to throw away their confidence’ (v. 35). Now, emboldened by God’s powerful declaration, they say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper’.”[1]
I have frequently seen ball caps and bumper stickers that read “No Fear.” I’m not sure what this means to those who use it. Does it mean something like, “You don’t scare me, so don’t try to mess with me?” Or does it mean something like, “I carry a loaded gun with me at all times?” Whatever it means, it does not begin to compare with the words of our Lord, “Fear not.” There is nothing in this world that compares with the safety and security of the believer in Jesus Christ. I’ve not personally counted them, but I’ve read several times that the Bible records the exhortation to “fear not” or “don’t be afraid” 365 times. That’s one time for every day of the year. I should count them sometime! But regardless, there are a lot of times when God’s people are to put on the hat that says, “No Fear.”
When I was writing devotions on the book of Jeremiah, I was impressed with the number of times God exhorted him to “fear not.” I quoted from Timothy Willis’ commentary on Jeremiah and wrote, “The exhortation, do not be afraid, is not backed up with a revelation about what will happen to him and that he will be happy with the outcome, but on the unqualified promise by the Lord, I am with you, no matter what happens. The significance of this is immense. So often, people look for external, physical proof of God’s presence in and approval of their lives when the only ‘proof’ he might offer is that he is with them. Such proof cannot be verified; it is only known in the heart of the believer.”[2] This is living by faith not by sight!
[1] Peter T. O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 513.
[2] Charles E. Larsen, Jeremiah Devotions 2015, n.d.