By Pastor Wayne Moore
High Point Baptist Church, Stuart, VA
Fear is something every one of us knows well. Some fears are reasonable, but many are nothing more than figments of our imagination, robbing us of joy and peace. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches us how to face fear, and He reminds us that when we learn to fear God, we no longer have to be controlled by fear. This may seem impossible at first, but it becomes clear when we remember that the God we fear is also the God who cares. His care enables us to remain faithful in a world that often persecutes His children.
Matthew 10:28–31 presents two compelling reasons why Jesus’ followers can stand firm. First, we do not have to fear man when we fear God. Jesus warns that people may destroy the body, but they cannot touch the soul. “Destroy” does not mean annihilate, but to ruin beyond usefulness. We see this in everyday life: a car totaled in a wreck, a book ruined by rain, or a casserole burned beyond saving. Humanity was created for a higher purpose, expressed beautifully in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Scripture supports this calling in passages such as 1 Corinthians 10:31, Romans 11:36, Psalm 73:25, and Psalm 16:11.
Those who reject Christ face eternal ruin, separated from the God they were made to glorify and enjoy. But this is not the destiny of believers. Heaven awaits those who trust in Christ, where joy and worship will never end. Because of this hope, Christians do not have to fear what people may do to them. Whatever harm comes because of faithfulness is temporary.
A striking example of this courage comes from the Nazi occupation of Holland. A young boy once watched German officers press a gun to his father’s temple, demanding information about hidden weapons. His father, normally timid and even afraid of the dentist, stood calm and steady. He quietly quoted the words of Jesus: “Do not fear those who kill the body, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” The soldiers backed away, and the boy never forgot the courage he witnessed that day.
The second reason we can stand firm is equally comforting: our heavenly Father cares for us. Jesus points to sparrows, the cheapest creatures sold in the marketplace, two for a penny or five for two pennies according to Luke 12:6. Yet not one falls without the Father’s knowledge. As one writer observed, “God attends the funeral of every sparrow.” If God watches over the smallest bird, how much more does He watch over His children.
Jesus then turns to something even more intimate. While a mother may count her baby’s fingers and toes, she has never counted the hairs on her child’s head. Yet God has. If He cares about a single hair, He cares about the whole person. He knows us fully, cares for us personally, and loves us without measure.
This truth inspired the beloved hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” In 1905, the hymn’s author met a disabled couple in New York who remained remarkably cheerful despite their hardships. When asked how they kept such joy, the husband replied simply, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” Those words became the seed of a song that has strengthened countless hearts.
Since God knows us so completely and cares for us so deeply, we do not need to waste our lives in fear. Instead, we can devote ourselves to knowing and caring for one another with the same tenderness our heavenly Father shows to us.
