Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

NOTHING TO FEAR While fishing on one of the Great Lakes, a young boy and his father were suddenly caught in a vicious storm. People on shore, knowing of their plight, were fearful the two would be drowned. Somehow, they made it through the storm and brought their boat safely to shore. "Weren't you afraid?" they asked the lad. To this, the boy replied, "No, because my dad was with me." The apostle Paul knew this kind of faith. He had been through three shipwrecks and great spiritual testing. He had been beaten, stoned, thrown in jail, and mocked. But through it all, he remained faithful and unafraid because his heavenly Father was with him. Now he tells the young Christians this great truth: Why be afraid because the Father of your faith is beside you. He will lift you up when you fall and pick you up when others trample over you. Another translation gives more detailed understanding of this verse. It says: ... the Lord is utterly to be depended upon by all who have faith in him, and he will give you stability and protection against all that is evil (J.B. Phillips translation).