The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 9:1-7, “And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2 ‘The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.

3 ‘Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant.

4 ‘Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

5 ‘Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.

7 ‘As for you, be fruitful and multiply; populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.’”

Have you ever been afraid? Can you genuinely recall a time when you were truly captivated by fear? I suppose that has happened to everyone at some time in life. I can recall my mother saying, “Don’t be afraid. You can do it. Just trust the LORD. He will help you.”

The LORD had just “blessed Noah” and his family, saying “Be fruitful and multiply…” Then, abruptly He added, “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth…” Yes, fear would indeed exist, but it would be that “every beast…bird…everything of the earth” would experience fear, except for man.

Yet, today, the source of fear appears to have originated within man, for he clearly avoids contact with multiple creatures of the earth, whether the danger is real or merely imagined. Regardless, it is man who is protected by Almighty God. Although couched in political rhetoric, President Franklin D. Roosevelt echoed Scripture when he said, “The only thing man has to fear is fear itself.” Whatever seeks to trouble you is erasable through prayer. Be fruitful, not fearful. The LORD is your strength and stay.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need, until He becomes all that we have.” –Corrie ten Boom