Serve Him Without Fear

Thanks to sickness and other ailments I am a bit behind in everything but still wanted to record my thoughts on Luke chapter one, where Zacharias praises God for sending Jesus. He says something that really stood out to me in verse 74:

"That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear"

Fear is a big part of my life. Too often I do things because I fear the result if I do not do them. Growing up I had a lot of fears in a lot of different ways. I was afraid to talk because I was afraid people would make fun of me. I was afraid to make mistakes because I was afraid that would mean I was doomed to not live with God. I was also afraid to make mistakes because I was afraid of disappointing people or causing people to get angry. I was afraid of water because I was afraid of dying in the water and dying was scary because I did  not know if I would really be with God or in some kind of hell. I still have similar fears today that have morphed into fears applicable to my life now. 

So this scripture jumped out at me as a perfect reminder at why Christ came. Doesn't
"serving him without fear" sound like redemption? He came to fix all the things we could be afraid of. Zacharias is speaking in particular about our enemies. He came so we do not have to fear our enemies and we can just serve him the way we know we should. He came and as Zacharias says earlier "he redeemed his people". He has redeemed us so that means that we can serve him out of love and gratitude for his grace instead of in fear of failure. It means that he can help us over come all the fears we face in this life through his grace as we steadily keep trying to follow him. It means that we can move forward and serve and love him, trusting that as it says in Romans 8:28 "...we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." 

I am in no way saying this makes all my fears dissipate. I so wish it was that simple! But it gives me a reminder and hope of what Jesus intends and what can be. Since he has suffered all (Alma 7:11), he understands perfectly the pain that fear brings and doesn't want us to have to suffer that pain. He wants us to be able to serve him without fear and through his grace, one day we all will be able to.

May we all continue to turn towards our Redeemer and let his grace continuously be the balm of Gilead to soothe our fearful hearts that we may one day always serve him with out fear.