“Trembling and bewildered,the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid.” (Mark 16:8 NIV)
Fear keeps us from fulfilling God’s instructions to us. Fear of discomfort. Fear of judgment. Fear of consequence. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of resistance from the enemy. Fear ties us up and holds us back from the obedience God calls us to.
Fear reduced these women from enthusiastic evangelists to worried witnesses. What they had seen in the empty tomb changed everything, but they lacked the courage to speak up about it.
I think that’s true for most of us who’ve encountered the empty tomb. What we’ve experienced has the power to transform lives (first and foremost, our own); like the Marys, we have a responsibility to tell the nations. Yet, fear holds us hostage and makes us mute.
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfection love.”
(1 John 4:18 NIV)
Perfect love is the antidote for fear, and though the Marys had stared into the face of perfect love, it had not permeated their souls just yet.
We see this perfect love saturate the life of Stephen, as he looks up to heaven and beholds the glory of God. (Acts 7:55-56) He goes to his stoning unflinchingly because he is convinced of the unchanging nature of God’s feelings for him. We are fearless when we finally, fully realize the absolute perfection of God’s love for us.
“All fear is but the not in that God’s love ends.” (Ann Voskamp)
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither heigh nor depth nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us fromm the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38 NIV)
Lord, we are so sorry for all the times we’ve known what You’ve required of us and still allowed fear to talk us out of it. Please forgive us for letting fear dictate our actions. Free us from fear’s destructive effects as we focus on Your perfect love. Give us courage to share the truth courageously and completely. May we help empty hell and fill heaven as we respond to Your divine instructions. Amen.