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“When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 20:1)

The flight attendant asked Maggie what she would like to drink, and she said, “Apple juice, please.” Everyone else was unbuckling their seatbelts and digging in their bags for books or iPods, but Maggie just kept her belt buckled and sat straight up with her hands tightly clutching the loop of her backpack. Her seat was right next to the aisle, and she was trying to keep at least one flight attendant in sight at all times. You see, Maggie hated to fly, especially by herself. Oh sure, there were a hundred or so more people on the plane with her, but none of them were her dad.

No, her dad was probably just getting home now after dropping her off at the airport. They had spent a fun weekend together, even visiting an amusement park. She was never afraid to ride the roller coasters when her dad rode next to her. Now, she was stuck on this plane, thousands of feet above the highest of any of those roller coasters, and no dad sitting next to her. Not a good feeling. And this was how it was going to be, every other weekend – for years, probably – home with Mom in St. Louis one day, flying off to Kansas City the next day to be with Dad.

Do you have someone or something that takes away your fear? Some people are afraid of the dark, and they like to sleep with a nightlight turned on. Maggie is afraid of flying, and of going on roller coasters – but it’s ok for her when her dad is along. There are kids who like to carry a certain blanket or stuffed animal with them because it helps them to feel brave. Some grown-ups feel brave only if they have a lot of money in the bank or if they have good medical insurance. Human beings are fearful. We fear monsters or bad dreams. We are afraid of pain. We are afraid to fail. We are afraid to try new things because we are afraid to fail!

God is not afraid of anything! He does not need to be! Think about it: God is perfect; so He can never sin or make a mistake or let someone down. God is all-powerful; so there is nothing bigger or greater or stronger than He is. God is all-knowing; so nothing is ever a surprise to Him, and He never has to guess how a hard situation is going to turn out. God is sovereign, which means He is always in control of everything that happens. No roller coaster could scare God. Problems that our families have are not a surprise to God, and nothing in the whole world is too hard for God.

In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, God promises His people that He is their God and that He will not leave or forsake them. He tells them “be not afraid” because He knows He is stronger than all of their enemies. He is greater than all the things they were afraid of. What do you fear? What “enemies” do you face that might cause you pain or worry? Is there something you are afraid to try because you know you might mess up? If you are trying to love and trust and obey God, you are putting your faith in a God Who is not afraid of anything.

Maggie does not have to be afraid. If she is trusting in God, it is ok that her dad and mom are in two separate cities, and it is ok that neither of them are on that plane with her. Psalm 56:3 has a message for us humans when we are afraid: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Like God has promised all throughout the Bible, He will never leave His people or forsake them. Maggie is not alone on that plane, if she is placing her trust in God. The God of the Bible has no fear, because there truly is nothing for Him to be afraid of. If you are trusting in the God of the Bible, you can be “casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you” (I Peter 5:7).

The God of the Bible has no reason to be fearful, and those of us who trust Him do not need to be afraid, either.

My Response:
» What things make me really afraid? Should they?
» How can remembering Who God is and what He has done help me to trust Him when I am fearful?

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

When God inspired Jeremiah to write these words, He meant them for the whole nation of Israel, not only Jeremiah. And when He gave the people of Israel this message, many of them were living lives that did not please Him. Some of them were even worshipping idols instead of God, but He still loved them and promised to keep on loving them forever.

Many of us seem to think that we must somehow earn God’s love by doing things that make Him happy. But that kind of thinking is wrong. Yes, God is pleased when we choose to obey His commands and follow the principles He has given in His Word. But His love for us does not change because of things we do or don’t do. If you are God’s child, He loves you now, will love you tomorrow, and the next day, and forever – because of Who He is, not because of the way you behave.

Chelsea had a hamster named Rascal, and his name was all too fitting. Rascal was always trying to escape from his cage! Often, he would bite Chelsea and anyone else who tried to hold him or pet him. One time, Chelsea worked hard to earn some money so she could buy Rascal a special ball for his cage. Because he tried to get out so much, she thought he would like to have the freedom to run around inside the ball. But after Chelsea had spent all her hard-earned money to buy him this gift, Rascal just sat still in the ball, refusing even to budge.

Chelsea’s family watched all that she did for Rascal – cleaning out his cage, buying toys for him, spending time with him, holding and petting him (when he would let her), and often getting bitten or scratched for all her efforts. They told her that Rascal was just not a good pet. In fact, Chelsea’s mother offered to take Rascal back to the pet store and see if they would give her a different hamster, one that would respond better to all that Chelsea tried to do for him. But Chelsea said, “No.” You see, Chelsea loved Rascal. Her love for Rascal did not depend on his being lovable, or upon his loving her back.

Wow! It is amazing to think that Chelsea, who is just a sinner just like the rest of us, could love Rascal (who is, after all, just a hamster) with a love like that! But if she can love a hamster with that kind of unconditional love (love that does not have to be earned) like that – how much more do you think our perfectly loving and compassionate Father God loves us? Chelsea’s love for Rascal is just a tiny little love when compared to God’s great love for us. But just as Chelsea’s love for Rascal did not depend in his being a “good pet,” so God’s love for you does not depend on your being a “good person.”

In fact, God gave us His greatest gift of love, not because we are good people deserving of His goodness, but because we could not be good people apart from Him. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth [shows] His love toward us, in that, while we yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus died for us so that we could be made righteous (good and right in our character and actions), not because we already are righteous. And God continues to love us and do good things for us. Why? Because He is a good and loving God – not because we are good and loving people. If you are trusting in the God of the Bible as your Father and Savior, nothing you do will ever change His love for you. He loves you now and forever, no matter what.

God loves you because of Who He is – not because of who you are.

My Response:
» Do I try to earn God’s love, or do I believe that He loves me no matter what?
» Do I truly trust in God’s love, or do I worry and fret about how He feels about me?
» Do I show the same kind of unconditional love (love that does not depend on someone else’s actions or words) to others that God shows to me?

“For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” (Proverbs 3:12)

None of us likes to be disciplined. It’s not fun at all! But if you have loving parents, you know that they do not really enjoy disciplining you, either.

A little girl named Addy was once caught stealing money out of her mom’s purse. When her dad took her aside to correct her, Addy saw that her dad was crying – even while he was punishing her. At first, Addy was just sad that she had been caught. But when she saw her dad crying, she was even sadder that she had disappointed him so much by stealing.

Our Heavenly Father is disappointed, too, when His children sin. He punishes His “sons” and “daughters” because He knows that sometimes a punishment is necessary for us to learn to obey Him. He loves us and punishes us for our good, not because He enjoys disciplining us.

When was the last time you disappointed your Heavenly Father by stealing – or coveting, or dishonoring your parents, or breaking the rules at your school, or saying unkind things about another one of His children? Can you blame Him for being disappointed in you? Can you see why He has to correct you? You can trust that, if God is punishing you for disobedience, it is because you are deserving and because He is loving. He loves you too much to leave you in your sin.

God disciplines us because He loves us.

My Response:
» Do I remember that I am disappointing my Heavenly Father when I sin?
» Do I understand that God disciplines His children because He loves them?

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)

God cares about big things. After all, He made the universe and the sun and the planets! He cares about the important things; not little things like haircuts and ballgames and birthday parties. Right?

But wait – the Bible says God sees little birds falling to the ground. How many birds do you think have been hatched since time began? God had His eye on every single one of them. Not just the eagles and the owls and the pelicans, but the sparrows – plain little birds of no great importance.

If you have a close friend, you might think you know your friend pretty well. Maybe you know what he wants for Christmas, or his favorite food. But no matter how well you know your friend, you know more about yourself. So, how many hairs do you have? You don’t know, do you? Besides, it changes from day to day! You wash your hair, brush it, fix it – and maybe you even twist it or pull it when you’re thinking hard about something. It really is impossible for you to know the exact number of hairs you have on your own head.

God knows. If He wanted to, He could tell you the exact count of your hairs. And if God knows that tiny little detail about you, you can be sure He knows the rest of the “little” things that are of big importance to you – your family problems, your best friend’s moving away, your pet dying, your team’s losing, your bad grades at school. Not only does He know – He cares. The Creator of the universe cares about you.

God has kept track of even the sparrows. Which one is more valuable – you or a bird? Which one did He die for? Whose prayers does He hear? “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” Take your problems, both big and small, to the One Who knows, the One Who cares, and the One Who can do something about it. God is that One.

God knows about and cares about even the smallest details of our lives.

My Response:
» Is it easy for me to forget that God knows and cares about the “small” things that are a big deal to me?
» How can I show by my life that I believe in a God Who is aware of everything and able to do anything?