362. Be Not Afraid
Joel 2:22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring; for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.
Fear not! Be not afraid! Don’t be anxious! Don’t worry! These admonitions are used many times by God and Jesus and His messengers. The reason given here for fearlessness is because the Lord will provide a peaceful, fertile, rich and abundant environment for enjoying a good life.
A utopian paradise is promised for the animals; there will be a time and place when and where the surroundings for living well are experienced once again. The “lion will lie down with the lamb,” and other such promises for nature will be actualized. The Creation will be restored to an Edenic garden for animals and humans to enjoy. Even the trees and stones will rejoice in God’s goodness. For now, we are all waiting for the restoration of all things, as predicted in Revelation. Times of refreshing will come from presence of the Lord. This kind of time was promised by God through the Prophets, from the time of Samuel and those who came after him.
Peter and the Apostles proclaim that this Time has come when the Christ appeared. We are living in those times spiritually by faith, and we eagerly await the full restoration of those times physically by sight. Spiritual wealth and abundance has been given freely to all who receive Christ as Lord. This is the kind of world that we live in and that lives in us. We need these kinds of promises so that by faith we can see what a glorious kingdom we live in.
The pastures, the trees, the fig tree and the vine are just a few of the many symbols of the great riches the Lord has given to us. True life was meant to be lived in a verdant, peaceful, beautiful, refreshing, and ever-new Paradise. Jesus has come to fulfill this promise in our hearts by faith; and He will come again to fulfill this promise in a New Creation for eternity. For now, we walk by faith and enjoy the kingdom.