There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out Fear for fear has to do with punishment. And whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
– 1 John 4:18
This verse is such an encouraging, emboldening comforting reminder to us that perfect love casts out all fear. I read an article that described what people in my country fear most. And the top 10 fears that people have are corrupt government officials, economic or financial collapse, nuclear war or world war illness, death, pollution of drinking water, biological warfare, cyber terrorism or terrorism, or not having enough money for the future.
1 John 4:18 reminds us we don’t have to be afraid of anything.
And when you look at all of those things. When you put them in perspective with the love of God for you and me. His perfect love casts out all fear. We don’t have to be afraid of anything when we’re beloved of God. When we know our God holds all government officials ultimately in the palm of his hand. That our God holds the future in the palm of his hand.
He holds nations and leaders of nations in the world, in the palm of his hand. And he holds us palm of his hand and he’s sovereign over illness and sovereign over death itself. Even not just sovereign over death, but victorious over death. Our king has conquered death and he loves us. He loves you as a result today because of his perfect love for you.
No matter what you’re facing in your life, no matter what you’re worried about, anxious about or afraid of, you can know that God will show his love to you. There was a moment I had recently just a really low moment, and God met me. I won’t go into the whole description of how he did and how he spoke to my heart. And the reason I bring it up here is because he just reminded me in that moment that he loves me.
1 John 4:18 encourages us to rest in God’s love.
And I was experiencing just a variety of different emotions. But what changed it all was realizing, remembering that amidst all these emotions I was feeling and burdens I was carrying, that God loves me, that God cares for me, and not just me, but God loves the people around me and the people I’m burdened over. So I just want to encourage you today to let the perfect love of God cast out all fear in your life today.
God, we praise you for 1 John 4:18. We praise you for your perfect love for us, your wise love for us. You’re all-powerful love for us. And I pray over every person listening to this right now, that they would rest in this moment and all day today in your perfect love for them. They would lay their head on their pillow tonight, resting in your perfect love for them, and they would wake up tomorrow morning trusting that your perfect love will guard, lead, and guide them.
Prayer for the Hmong Bua People
And ultimately, your perfect love will shine in a world where we would have a lot to be afraid of. If you are not perfectly loving, God, we pray for the spread of your perfect love through our lives today. Help us to be a reflection, even as 1 John 4:19 says, to love as we’ve been loved, because we’ve been loved. God, we pray for the spread of your love to people around us today. Help us to share your perfect love today.
And God, we pray for the Hmong Bua people of Laos, this unreached people group in Laos. I think about talking just recently with a woman who came here as a refugee from Laos. She was just in tears wanting to see the gospel spread in her country. We pray specifically, oh God, we plead for the Hmong Bua people of Laos to be reached with your perfect love. We pray all of this according to your Word in 1 John 4:18, which we love. In Jesus name, amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
