Do Not Fear

Our Theme for June

Isaiah 44:2 - This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

As a professional church musician, it’s no secret that I often hear God’s voice the loudest through music. Several weeks ago, I was working on an anthem with the Chancel Choir entitled “Do Not Be Afraid.” The structure of this piece is one in which a common refrain keeps returning between verses of alternate text and musical material. The text of that common refrain is “Do not be afraid, do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine, you are mine.”

The first time I did this piece here at 1st Church a couple of years ago, I had the Youth Choir and the Chancel Choir combine to sing it. This was an incredibly moving experience! But with extra elements, there are extra distractions, and it isn’t always possible for me to be completely present in the moment, as I am trying to make sure so many things are happening. When I returned to this piece with just the Chancel Choir a few weeks ago, though, I was able to allow it to envelop me to a greater degree, and I was able to contemplate it more deeply.

Repeating a section of music can be done for many reasons. It can be that, whatever happens between the repeated sections alters how we hear that repeated section. It could be that hearing the repeated section again simply reminds us of the earlier part of the music. In this case, though, largely because of the text, I couldn’t help but think of it in the context of hearing something until it sinks in.

“Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine. You are mine.” 

I’m sure many of us have been there at some point, with our parents or our partners or our coworkers or whomever else, when we just don’t fully hear something the first…or second…time. We need to have them say it again or again and again and again before it really becomes something we understand. Well, I know that I’ve been there, and in this moment, I was there once more. But this time, I was hearing God say to me: 

“Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine. You are mine.” 

How could we be afraid? God has called us by name. God has redeemed us. God has claimed us. The God who created galaxies formed us in the womb. The God who was with Moses and Elijah and Jesus is with us, too. What could we possibly have to fear?

“Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by your name; you are mine. You are mine.” 

Let us pray.

God, we thank you for your presence throughout our lives. We are grateful that, when we don’t hear you the first time, you keep reminding us who we are and whose we are. Help us to be people who do not fear, secure in the knowledge that you are with us. We pray this in the name of Christ Jesus, amen.

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.