We went to the local Family Dollar the other day to get some canned chicken for our elderly dog. We were also running low on paper towels, although not TP since we got a family sized package right before all the fear set in. Guess what? We should not have used the petrol. No canned chicken when normally there would be multiple units on the shelves. No paper towels to be found where paper towels were packed in just weeks before.  What changed?  Fear set in. And the feeling that one needs to do something to control one’s world.

Matthew 10:28–31 (NASB)
²⁸ “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Jesus does not back away from talking about fear. He looks around in a disease ridden world where medical treatment was mostly ineffective (with apologies to Dr. Luke). A world ruled by Imperial Rome, a violent militant dictatorship. A world in which they had little control. Yet Jesus tells His followers not to fear those who kill the body, whether Satan himself or an intermediary. But any fear should be reserved for God, who is responsible for our ultimate fate, the one who is really in control. He is the One who knows us and cares for us, the One who sees us as immensely valuable. Rest in that knowledge