"You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"" ~Isaiah 40:9, NIV
A lot of people are afraid of public speaking. Even if what they're saying is good, right, and true, stage fright takes over and often incapacitates them. Back in Bible times, almost everything could be considered public speaking, because they weren't so sheltered as to be able to anonymously post something on the Internets.
And back in Bible times, if you were thought to be saying blasphemy you could get stoned. As in have rocks thrown at your face until you died. Telling God's good news to a perverse generation might have been pretty scary.
But if you have hope to give to people, if you've got good news waiting for them, God tells you not to be afraid, and to tell as many people as you can. If you're a messenger of God (read: if you're a Christian) then you've got a message that can't be drowned - Jesus died for our sins, and we don't have to lay dead forever, cut off from God.
Don't be afraid to give that word! Don't be afraid to tell someone! Don't be afraid to give a little hope to the darkness. It's a bright light.
Image: Fotopedia
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