He placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Rev. 1:17–18
Lord Jesus, it’s heart-freeing to know the most repeated command in the entire Bible is “Do not be afraid.” It doesn’t come as a rebuke, but a kiss—not as a challenge to find strength within, but as a call to abandon ourselves to you. Thank you.
Started shepherds on the night of your birth, a vulnerable Mary on the morning of your resurrection, an aging apostle (John) in exile on Patmos… they all received this same blessed gift. “Do not be afraid.” It’s our gift too, right now.
Because you are “the First and the Last,” we don’t have to fear anything in between. Nothing is more ultimate than you, Jesus, and your love and care for us. Because you are “the Living One,” we also live; for your death and resurrection are counted as ours. Because you “hold the keys of death and Hades,” we don’t have to be afraid of death, judgment, or today. Death is now gain, for you are now our life (Phil. 1:21).
Our failures don’t define us, your righteousness does. Our pain and hurt don’t own us, for we are yours, and you are making us new. Our weakness is where your strength is made perfect. Our brokenness is where you paint with the kaleidoscopic colors of mercy, grace, and kindness. There is nothing greater, in life and in death, than to belong to you, Jesus. We love you. We trust you. So Very Amen.
