Have No Fear

“Joseph, son of David, have no fear...” 

Matthew 1:20

How many of us live in fear and anxiety? Sometimes we do not know what to do. Life can be full of situations where we are caught between a rock and a hard place. Men and women get into relationships that lead them from sin to sin. Lives are so complicated even while we yearn for clarity and simplicity. It appears that Joseph was a simple man, a good man. The direction of his life was uncomplicated and clear until he was thrust into the middle maelstrom of contradiction and perplexity. What was he to do when the woman he thought was pure and humble was pregnant? Should he break their engagement as the law prescribed? Intervention came in the form of an angel who advised him of God’s plan. 

In today’s world, we do not see angels very often, but God often sends us people to show us His plan. I listened to the preacher Ravi Zacharias on YouTube last night and he told the story of a preacher and church planter in Lebanon named Sami Dagher. Sami knows no fear in his work for the Lord. He says God is moving in the Middle East and He has started several churches in Iraq, and Syria, even under the threat of death. One night as he and his British wife Joy were driving home, he saw a suitcase lying by the side of the road. He stopped and picked it up even if his wife Joy protested, “It’s not ours. Sami, leave it alone.” 

Sami opened the case when they got home, and it was packed, every inch, with money. He searched for some identification, and when he found it, he called the man on the card. “Have you lost something?” he asked. The silence on the other end was so thick, you could hear a pin drop, then the man finally answered, “Have you found it?” Sami reassured the man that his money was safe and he could come retrieve the case in the morning. The man came and they talked. “I took out all my money from the bank. I wanted to escape the country. I strapped the suitcase to the top of my car. When I saw that it was gone, I retraced my path and could not find it!” 

The man opened the suitcase, got a handful of money and offered it to Sami. The preacher said, “No, no, no. I only take an offering like that on a Sunday. Come to my church on Sunday.” The man brought his whole family and attended the service. The evening Ravi Zacharias was leaving Lebanon, Sami was hosting the man and his family. He gave Bibles to each family member. “You thought you lost your treasure,” he reminded. “Who really wants Lebanese money? I’ll give you the treasure that moths cannot devour.” The man could not stop crying. 

Like Joseph, we need not fear. We are not alone. God wants to speak to us. God wants to walk with us. This Advent season, let us turn to Him with joy!