And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:8-10 NIV).
When the startling and unexpected happens, there is nothing more welcome than a reassuring word. A word of comfort. A word of encouragement. A word that says, “Be not afraid.”
The shepherds were terrified. But the angel of the Lord assured them that the message he came to pronounce was one of good news.
The gift of the gospel, the good news of glad tidings, has power to shatter the fear within the hearts of all who hear it. But people tend to hold onto fear. Fear of aging. Fear of dying. Fear of scarcity, struggling, or suffering. However, trusting God’s love drives out all that fear (1 John 4:18). It was that love that was pronounced by a whole host of heaven. As assurance.
The gospel itself is an assurance—because it is based on evidence. Evidence communicated to those lowly shepherds to go and see. Evidence rooted in the immutable, authoritative God.
When we share the gospel, we share a word of assurance. A trustworthy truth, with substance and power behind it. It’s an assurance of Who Jesus is, what He has done, and the eternal difference He makes in the lives of His believers. A word of reassurance is also often needed—even to our own selves.
Englishalex.com says that “assure and reassure are both transitive verbs used to instill confidence in a listener.” He goes on to say that “assure means to inform someone positively of something … reassure means to restore someone's confidence in something, and to reduce someone's stress, fear, uncertainty, or worry about a situation … [it’s] to assure again.”
Someone can offer a reassuring word to comfort or to help when someone is feeling overwhelmed or afraid, but their reassurance may not necessarily be something that can be trusted—unless it is grounded in the gospel.
The angels brought an assuring word. A gospel message we need to hear again and again, to reassure us in those “dark nights of the soul.” This is the season to do just that! It’s the perfect time of year to share the gift of the gospel. It is a word gifted . . . to re-gift. To offer words of assurance to a wandering lamb. Or a reassuring word for a sheep cast down in the valley of fear or doubt. Re-gift God’s assuring words of life—to light up the countenance and celebration of someone else this Christmas.
God of Comfort, we give thanks that Jesus left us words of assurance—that we would not be troubled. Such a gift—from the heart of the Word Himself! May the Spirit instill an added measure of courage to share those words with those people who most need to hear them.
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