Do not be afraid.
—Genesis 15:1
“Do not be afraid,” God said to Abraham.
He said the same thing to Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Mary, Paul, and John.
He knew their names and their fears.
Add your name to that list, because he also knows your name and your fears.
“When I am afraid, I will trust in you,” wrote the psalmist (Ps 56:3).
In the next verse, he wrote, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid” (Ps 56:4).
The first sentence is good—fear came first, then trust.
The second sentence is better—trust came first, then fear never did.
Fear ends where trust begins.