In this time of fear for the coronavirus, I would like to give you 31 reasons to not be afraid. One reason for every day of the month. This is not to say that the coronavirus is not dangerous. At the moment of writing, over 30,000 people have died and the number is likely to become much higher.
Neither do I claim that if you have enough faith, or proclaim that the blood of Jesus covers you, you are safe from the virus. I see many messages and memes going around on the internet that claim this. That is just plain wrong. Evangelical pastors have died of the coronavirus. Some outbreaks sped up because people got infected by the virus in a church service. “If you have faith, the coronavirus cannot touch you” sounds nice. But it is a lie of the devil.
Yet even in a situation when a pandemic is raging that might claim your life, there are other reasons not to be afraid. Let me give you a biblical reason not to be afraid, not to fear, and not to be anxious for every day of the month. The first 20 are already published in “part 1” and “part 2” of this series. Here are eleven more reasons.
21. Do not be afraid: Otherwise you will not be ready for Jesus’ second coming.
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap”, (Luke 21:34).
You can sleepwalk through life, which is not good. You can also be anxious about everyday issues, or even constantly worry. That’s not good either, because then we can’t focus on spiritual issues. Jesus warns us that if we live that way, we are not looking forward to his coming. And we should! Do not be afraid.
22. Do not be afraid: God answers your prayers.
“I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears”, (Psalm 34:4).
There are many reasons we do not need to fear. But that the Bible contains so many of these reasons, already shows that we need to be told. Fear so easily gets us in its grip. We have one powerful weapon against it: prayer. God answers our prayers. He may answer your prayer by taking away your fear, or He might answer by changing the circumstances so there is nothing to fear anymore. Whatever the case: do not forget to use prayer as a weapon against fear. You do not need to be afraid.
23. Do not be afraid: Jesus gives you rest.
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, (Matthew 11:28).
Fear is a heavy burden to bear. There are few things so emotionally exhausting as living in constant fear. Some people follow all the news about the coronavirus and are consumed by fear. For others it is more a nagging concern in the back of their mind. Whatever the case for you: Jesus promises rest if you come to him. He will take the load off you. You are safe with him. You do not need to be afraid.
24. Do not be afraid: A mind focused on God knows peace.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”, (Isaiah 26:3).
Perfect peace and fear cannot go together. Where there is perfect peace, there is no place for fear. Here we get the recipe for perfect peace: a mind focused on God. So whenever you are tempted to be overcome by fear, focus on God. When you see how big God is, you will realize how small all the things are that you fear. Be at peace. You do not need to be afraid.
25. Do not be afraid: You are alive.
“Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him”, (Acts 20:10).
Eutychus fell from a window on the third story. People took him up dead. But Paul took him in his arms and said “do not be alarmed, for his life is in him”. The same is true for you. Your life is in you. You have so much to be thankful for. You have so much to look forward to. Don’t ruin it by fear. God has given you life, and you have the privilege to know him and to serve him. You do not need to be afraid.
26. Do not be afraid: God is not ready yet.
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him”, (Psalm 37:7).
When you are in difficult circumstances, you do not yet know what the outcome will be. That makes it easy to become afraid. There is even more fear if you do not experience God in that situation. We want God to change the situation right away. Right now, hundreds of thousands of people are suffering disease through the coronavirus. We want it to be over. But God’s plans are different. This Psalm tells us to patiently wait for him. That’s an important lesson in any crisis. At his time, when his plans have been fulfilled, God will act. You do not need to be afraid.
27. Do not be afraid: Jesus is risen from the dead.
“And He said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself”, (Luke 24:38-39).
The disciples were afraid when Jesus appeared to them. But Jesus told them there was no reason for that. He had risen from the dead. Jesus himself had returned to them. This same truth of Jesus’ resurrection is a powerful medicine to drive away your fears. Jesus has conquered death. If He has conquered death, He can conquer anything. If you are his disciple, you are safe with the risen Lord. You do not need to be afraid.
28. Do not be afraid: God will give you what you need.
“And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you”, (Luke 12:29-31).
Jesus says to all who believe in him: your Father in heaven knows what you need. Because He is a loving Father, He will give you what you need. You do not need to be afraid.
29. Do not be afraid: It doesn’t help.
“Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Luke 12:25).
Of course there are precautions that we need to take in life, and especially during this coronavirus crisis. But often we worry about things we cannot change. And even with the things that we can change, it doesn’t help us to be anxious while working on them. Whether we are worried or not, anxious or not, fearful or not: it does not make a difference. Jesus says: so don’t do it. Trust God instead. You do not need to be afraid.
30. Do not be afraid: There are more important things.
“Do not be anxious […] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness”, (Matthew 6:31,33).
Worries are foremost in our minds. Fears can even be so strong, that they push out every other thought. But Jesus tells us there is something more important than the things of this world that we worry about. Seeking God’s Kingdom and seeking God’s righteousness is the most important thing anybody can do. When you do that, you will notice that fear disappears. Close to God, fear melts away. You do not need to be afraid.
31. Do not be afraid: For fear is unbelief.
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all”, (Matthew 6:31-32).
When you worry or are fearful, you basically say that you do not trust God to give you what you need. If you think ‘I need this’ (Of course you might be mistaken about it, and God’s answer might be ‘no, you don’t!’) – and worry about it, there is another hidden thought connected to it. ‘Does God know?’ or ‘Does God care?’ or ‘Is God powerful enough to fulfill my need?’ Yes, your Father in heaven knows and cares and is powerful enough. You do not need to be afraid.
Read also: The corona virus is spreading. What should I do?