“9And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.” — Luke 2:9 (ESV)
The shepherds were in the field tending to their flock and were startled and afraid of the angels appearance to them. I don’t blame them one bit. All of a sudden there is light in the sky and all around you and voices are being heard, and not just to me, but everyone can see and hear the same thing. I would be afraid as well.
Thing is, this fear for the shepherds was getting in the way of their hearing of the joy that had come in the form of Jesus. Their fear was preventing them from hearing and subsequently their experiencing that joy for themselves.
“10And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” — Luke 2:10-11 (ESV)
The angel of the Lord was bringing joy to them and knew of the fear that had consumed the shepherds. Therefor, let them know that there was no reason to be afraid as the angel was there to bring them the joyous news of the birth of Christ.
The fear that was welling up in the shepherds was clouding their ability to hear and comprehend the joy of the moment. I know for me, I have had similar experiences with missing out due to fear. I have missed great things for a time until I am able to get over the fear to experience the event.
Fear can be healthy in that it is there to guard against falling into something that may harm me. I have to have a certain amount of fear, although really it should be more caution than fear. I have to be cautious in my approach to things to understand them. When I am able to understand I am able to move forward. I have to remember that being afraid may keep me from something and that something could be the joy of the LORD.
I have to remember that God will protect me. He guards me. He wraps His arms around me and ensures that I am not harmed. He is for me and He wants joy for me. I have only to accept Him and His protection and proceed knowing that He is there. I have to push through any fear as I know that it is irrational in the name of the Lord as I have eternal life through Him. Push through the fear to experience the joy He has for me.
What are you missing out on as a result of fear? Are not doing something due to being afraid of what might be? What if you were to reduce the fear to caution and push through to experience the joy of the LORD?
Trevor's Thoughts 