Fear not.

Isaiah 35:4  (NIV) 

Say to those with fearful hearts,

    “Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

    He will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

    He will come to save you."

Many preachers promise the world to their audiences, but are these promises always reliable? One would think that at the very least, the promises given in seminary classes across the world are honored, but are they?

One day a professor gave his students a harsh assignment: They each had to preach one sermon in the upcoming month, without any notes!

The professor promised his anxious students, that if they ever lost their train of thought (which they all did!), they only had to repeat their last uttered sentence over and over again with more and more dynamism. The promise? They would remember the sermon they had written. Guaranteed!

To poor Johnny, that promise was never realized. Although he was preaching in an ideal situation-a small, older church-as soon as the words "I am coming" were out of his mouth, all of the rest of his sermon fled.

He started to panic. All eyes in the audience were on him and he couldn't remember a word of what he was supposed to say! He stared at them for a minute, sweat dripping from his face. He wanted to scream "Help!", but that wouldn't look too good on his résumé.

With relief he remembered his professor's promise, and with a bit more energy, he again uttered: "I am coming!" When his mind was still blank, he did it again. And again. In desperation he took a firm hold of the old pulpit and screamed out with all of his might: "I am coming!"

He was shaking so much by this time that the ancient wood of the pulpit gave way under his weight, and he fell off the platform, with the top of the pulpit still tightly gripped in his fists, in front of an older lady on the front row.

Embarrassed, he apologized. The old lady reassuringly replied: "That's all right, young man! You warned me!"

I wonder if Johnny ever became a preacher!

His promises about fear are clear and simple, and unlike the rest of us, He always keeps His promises.

"Do do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." (Isa 41:10 NIV)

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine." (Isa 43:1 NIV)

Why not try getting to know Him?

What do we really have to lose?

Dear Lord, calm our fears and help us to completely trust in You. Thank You for redeeming us. Give us the courage to share that with others today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Shipyard Preacher

1 Corinthians 16:13 (New International Version)

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

God calls all sorts of people to minister and preach the Gospel, no matter where they came from or what they have done.

Glasgow, Scotland, used to have a magnificent shipyard industry on the River Clyde. Thousands of men were employed in the building of some of the biggest warships and ocean liners in the world. From all over the docks, flashes of light could be seen as the riveters and welders worked on the hulls of the great ships.

On Friday afternoons, when most of the workforce was paid, thousands of men would walk out of the gates to either go to the pubs and spend their wages, or head home to be with their families, possibly buying them a fish and chips supper for dinner. As these men walked out of the shipyard gates, a man, with his own portable platform, was preaching the Gospel to the huge mass of workers. Most of the men walked by, some jeered and some cheered, some hurled insults and called the preacher everything under the sun.

It was an amazing ministry to watch and, on some rare occasions, the preacher was able to reach into the heads and hearts of a few men. He had been a shipyard worker himself, so he knew of their hardships, addictions, and struggles with life. Jesus had changed him, so he wanted to help other men make that transformation. It was a courageous, yet often humiliating ministry. But every Friday, the preacher was there giving God’s message to thousands of men who had no time for faith.

The Church of Scotland was approached by some people and asked if they would ordain the Shipyard preacher. Sadly, they turned him down. He didn't have the right academic qualifications, or the privileges of seminary training. This didn't bother the preacher. He just kept turning up on Fridays to preach the Gospel. His strength was in the Lord, and not in an ecclesiastical certificate that proclaimed him to be an official minister of the church. God calls all sorts of people to minister, pastor, and preach in His Name.

Perhaps you are being led by God to start a new ministry in your church. Perhaps God is calling you to do something in Christ’s name for your community. Maybe you don’t feel qualified to start or accomplish it. Remember this: if God truly calls you, He believes you can get it done.

Dear Lord we are all so different and we each have various gifts, talents, and skills. Sometimes you call us out of our comfort zones and specialized areas to do something beautiful and completely unexpected for You. We pray for courage today to respond to Your call and give us the strength to do all You ask of us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.