Fear Not Because God Sends

Amy Tromba, Gordale Scar, Yorkshire Dales National Park, April 2025

by Amy Tromba 

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10

This past April, my husband and I hiked in the Yorkshire Dales National Park near Malham, England. As we approached Gordale Scar, a 400-foot-deep limestone gorge, we heard the call of a shepherd to his flock of sheep that had wandered towards the top of this steep, rugged ravine. The sheep turned around in response to the shepherd’s call but were paralyzed with fear by the treacherous descent lying before them. The shepherd released his dog, who, with no fear, immediately ran up the chasm, moving in a wide arc to herd the sheep to safety without spooking them. It was an amazing sight to behold, and one I won’t forget anytime soon.

In Luke 2, the shepherds beheld an incredible sight that would change them forever. At first, it seemed like any other ordinary night. Multiple shepherds led their sheep into a secure, short-walled structure, probably with thorny bushes on top, as each shepherd took a turn guarding the single entrance into the sheepfold from any potential predators or thieves.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared before them, and God’s glory was shining all around.

Uhhhh, this is probably about the time I would either flee, freeze, or fight, so I understand when Scripture says the shepherds were filled with great fear.

Then the angel’s first words were spoken, “Fear not.”

I love how God provides for our needs right where we are. The shepherds didn’t have a little fear; they had great fear, and so the angel spoke words of comfort right from the start, words of great joy that would surpass their great fear.

But I have wondered how two simple words could calm the shepherds’ great fear, allowing them to hear the rest of the angel’s message, then responding in haste to Bethlehem to see the Savior lying in a manger, while telling others about their experience and praising God as they returned to their night watch. I’m sure no one went back to sleep that night.

Did they feel the peace beyond all understanding, and that’s what calmed their great fear? Surely, they were familiar with the Scriptures of Isaiah promising the birth of a child where the government would rest on His shoulders, and there would be no end to His peaceful and righteous reign. Or did they recall the words from Micah, written over 700 years before, about a ruler over Israel coming out of Bethlehem?

In their fear, these shepherds could have frozen like the sheep I saw in the gorge, or they could have downplayed their experience, talking themselves out of it happening. But I like to think it was their faith in God that motivated them into action. This was the Savior their families had been waiting for many generations to arrive. And He was being born in the City of David; David, a fellow shepherd just like them.

The Good Shepherd was finally here.

Would great fear stop them from experiencing it with their own eyes? Absolutely not.

Just as God sent His Son into the world, He sent an angelic announcement to the shepherds, who then sent a witness to those around.

Fear not, God sends.

Are you ready this Advent season to release fear and make haste to God’s calling?