I just finished watching session 4 from my Beth Moore study on Esther. It was a fantastic lesson about courage and fear. She said that everyone lives in fear of something(s) and posed the question, "Can you imagine living without fear?"
I've thought about this before and can hardly begin to grasp what it would be like to live completely free of worry, fear, and anxiety. However, Beth reminds us that we do not have to continue living this way or lose hope that we'll ever live without fear because our God is faithful to complete the good work He has begun in us. She went on to say that whatever our greatest fears are, it's not enough to trust that God will protect us from those things ever happening; we are to trust God, period. Even if our greatest fears actually do come to pass, our God is faithful. My God is faithful. Praise God, He remains faithful.
She said that "fear not" is the most frequent command in the Bible and points out that Jesus commands us to "take courage," as though it is something He offers us freely. I loved when she said, "Courage comes from a heart that is convinced it's loved," which connects to the verse in 1 John that says that perfect love casts out fear. After her initially fearful response, Esther took courage and risked her life for the possibility -- not even the certainty!-- of saving the Jews. Like Esther, may we take the courage that our Beloved Father offers us in the midst of even the most fearful circumstances. It is ours for the taking, so friends, take courage.