#1065. Don’t be afraid, even your hairs are numbered (28/5/24)

This week in our Luke series, we are focussing on Luke 12:4-12, where the theme is on how we are to deal with the pressure to hide or compromise our faith. Today, we see that the love of God and His attention on us free us of fear.

Luke 12:4–12

‘“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”’ (Luke 12:6-7)

Luke 12:6–7

Lesson: We must overcome our fear of people with the love of God

You can listen to this devotional at:

https://youtu.be/cqKP0ShYhWo

I don’t know if you’ve ever done any rock climbing. If you have, you may have had someone on the ground ‘belaying’ for you; they hold a safety line that, if you should lose your footing, will keep you from falling. When you know that you are supported and protected, one is confident to climb and try harder things.

In today’s text, we are being encouraged to allow the attention and love of God to drive out fear so that we can live for Jesus.

Jesus teaches about the ‘omniscience’ of God - God knows all things fully. Jesus argues from the lesser to the greater; if ‘five sparrows’ are not forgotten by God, He is certainly aware of and has not forgotten us. Added to this everyday illustration, Jesus makes the point that if God has numbered the hairs on your head, how can we think that He may have forgotten us?

The love of God is to drive out fear. Fear is the product of believing that we are endangered. In the context of this passage, the people were tempted to fear the religious leaders rather than God because they believed that the threat of these religious leaders was more real than the attention and love of God.

The story of Hager, rejected and in the desert, is a great example of these things.

‘She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”  That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi (well of the Living One who sees me). (Genesis 16:13-14)

Genesis 16:13–14

Response

We must overcome our fear of people with the love of God. May we confess the name of God - El Rohi (The God who sees me). This is not simply a matter of studying these truths. Our faith in the love and care of God is grown through prayer, but also, through having to apply these truths in faith. Our faiths is ‘refined like gold’ in the fires of life. We are to choose to make good decisions that intimidate us because we are choosing to trust in the name of God and His promises. There is no painless growth!