I heard recently that the most frequent command in the Bible is “fear not.” I know Jesus said it. I know it was repeated over and over in the Old Testament. I did a quick search and found “Do not fear,” “Do not be afraid,” and “Fear not” are stated 102 times. The Father said it, Jesus said it, prophets said it, and angels said it – all under the authority of God. Why such an emphasis on fear?

While one cannot base the importance of a subject entirely upon how often it is brought up vs. something else that perhaps isn’t brought up quite as much, I think that this should make us think, and acknowledge that it is at very least worth our meditation. As I try to soak in this apparent priority of Scripture, I cannot help but think that, when we fear, we are saying something about God.

One of these days I will go through Scripture and do a systematic, biblical, and practical theology study of fatherhood, but right now I’m just putting down some quick thoughts.

Think about this. Perhaps this will resonate within you deeper if you are a father. As a father, one of our key responsibilities is to protect our children, be there for them, commit yourself to their well-being and provide them with an atmosphere within which they can thrive, which involves training, teaching, and practical application. God is not bound to the “how to be a good dad” books. But where do these foundational father qualities come from? My guess is – the first Father. Now, when a young child is fearful, where do they run? You…at least when you’re around. Why? Because you can do something about it. Once they are in your arms, their fears are quenched.

God says to us, “Fear not, for I am with you” in a multitude of different ways.

When we fear, we tell God either 1. No, you’re not with me, 2. You can’t do anything about it, or 3. You’re not going to do anything about it. Ultimately, when we fear, we allow a false doctrine of God to enter our lives. Either that 1. He’s absent from our lives and we are on our own, 2. He has no control over our situation, or 3. He doesn’t care.

I think that most of the time, whether we say it ver batim or not, we fall to #1 practically. We are consumed with our own lives, with buying and selling, with eating, drinking, and making merry, that we don’t really walk with God or acclimate ourselves to His daily presence. Since we have become so accustom to running our own lives, tragedy sends us running back into our own arms, only to find an impotent mess. One really is the loneliest number at those times. Most other times we love it, because being one means you get to make your own decisions and control your own little world. But being one is also the place where we find our deepest regret and fears. Fear comes from unremitting oneness.

“I am with you” should thread our days together. When we cut that thread, our lives will unravel. And when we walk with God, He does not just make our world to involve 2 (or 4, however you count it), but He comes with an entire Church, which He has established to represent His Body! We can never be alone when God is really near. And with an incomprehensible peace that comes from an intimate knowledge of His presence and power, how can we fear?

No wonder fear is taken so seriously in Scripture.