Podcast Introduction Our reading today is Psalms 9-11: Fear Not. After that I’ll have some comments. Then we’ll do our “On This Day In Church History” segment and we’ll pray for some needs in the Lifespring Family. Thoughts on Psalms 11 There was a time, before he was king, when David was being pursued by King Saul. And David’s friends, though well intentioned, gave him advice not founded in faith. “Run away! Hide!” David’s response was, “Why should I hide when I trust in God’s protection? God is still on His throne. He sees what is happening to me, and He will deal with those who wish to do me harm. He knows I am His, and He will watch over me.” Beloved, Family, have you noticed that everywhere you look we are being given another reason to be afraid? “There’s a new variant, and it’s worse than the last!” “ISIS is back!” “The Taliban is back!” “Joe Biden wants to steal your retirement!” “China!” “Russia!” “The Commie Left!” “The Nazi Right!” “We’re all gonna die!” If I didn’t know better, I just might think it’s a coordinated effort!  Relax. I’m not going to go all political on you. But I will say that, yes it is being coordinated. But not by any political party or nation. It’s being coordinated by the one who wants us to look at whats happening instead of our Heavenly Father. David had it right. Why should we fear when we know that “the Lord is in his holy temple. The Lord is on his throne in heaven.” Yes, He is watching. He knows who are His and who are doing evil. The evil will suffer His wrath, and the righteous will enjoy His blessings. Psalm 46:1-2a says, “1God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2Therefore will not we fear…” Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God…” Jesus said, “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 I could go on and on. God’s Word is full of phrases like “fear not”, “don’t be afraid” and the like. There’s a saying going around that there are 365 “fear nots” in the Bible…one for each day of the year. That’s a nice thought, but it’s not true. But that’s ok. There are actually many, many more times that we are assured that we have no need to fear in the Bible.  Listen, Family. God has many names in the Bible. I did a podcast called “In Touch With God’s Character” for some time. Each episode was only a few minutes long, in which I would focus on one of the names of God. Each name of God emphasizes an aspect of who He is. Jesus, when praying to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane prayed, “Abba Father”. Do you know what Abba means? It’s an Aramaic word that roughly means “Daddy”. It speaks of the close, intimate relationship of a father and child, and the childlike trust that a youngster places in his daddy. We also have that relationship with God! Paul wrote in Romans 8:14-15, “14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  Beloved, with God, the Creator