"Whom shall we fear?" We fear no one. We're not afraid of anything. Instead, we wait for the Lord with good courage. He will strengthen our hearts, as the psalmist writes (Ps 27:1).
If God is for us, who can be against us? This is the apostle Paul's rhetorical question that he included in his letter to the Christians in Rome (Rom 8:31). But, they can just as easily come from our lips each day. We know that God is on our side on account of Jesus' death and resurrection.
Even though family and friends may argue against us, the Lord will strengthen us to withstand the temptation. Whether someone is well-meaning or malicious, our security and protection are provided by the Lord God. He is almighty. He is the only One who's promised to be our strength in times of trouble. He always shows up for us, as he says: "I am with you always."
In our churches, false prophets and preachers can rise up to destroy our faith that Christ alone saves us through his grace and mercy, apart from all our works. We can suffer from abuse in our homes. We can be attacked in the streets in our communities. People can try to destroy us and cause us to fear for our lives. But each one of those people is repelled with the shield of faith that comes from Christ Jesus, who defeated all of them on the cross.
The Light in this dark world and our salvation amid the doomed and damned that confront us every day is Christ Jesus, our Lord. Whom then will we fear? The Lord is the strength of our lives. So, to repeat the words of the apostle, "Whom shall we fear?" We fear no one. We're not afraid of anything. Instead, we wait for the Lord with good courage. He will strengthen our hearts, as the psalmist writes (Ps 27:1).
Whenever we are engaged by someone who wants to bring conflict into our homes or cause trouble in our neighborhoods, we can be certain that there is a way to face them. We can face them because the One who is our Light and Salvation, Jesus Christ, is with us. We don't turn towards our enemies; we turn to Jesus. We turn to our Savior, who has already won the battle for us and for all those whose conflicts and troubles seem about to defeat them.
Jesus gave up his life on the cross for our sins. We don't need to be afraid of other sinners because he overcame them at Golgotha too. Jesus strengthens us through his Word that he will not let us down. He will not fail to strengthen and protect us from our enemies. He will take us through every conflict and trouble because he promises that we will see the resurrection and life everlasting.
With his victory over sin, death, and hell on the cross, our Lord Jesus opened the way to security and certainty in all life's challenges. He strengthens us and helps us in our every need. He gives us courage so that we will not be afraid of those who threaten and attack us. We don't be afraid of them because the Lord God, our Savior, is always with us. Jesus is always by our side.
