Poem November 26, 2001 Issue

Words of comfort

By D. Kitty Simms

In the heat of the day, an angel spoke to Hagar.
This woman and her son had been cast out from their home.
Their everyday lives were changed forever.
What they knew as a place of security was gone.
Here they were in the desert of the unknown.
The angel of God spoke to Hagar.
He spoke this loving command—to her.
"Fear not."

Moses was an educated man. He lived well. He knew where his security lay.
One day he had to run—his life was in danger.
The life he had lived was over. He hid. A new life was before him.
A gentle shepherd he became.
In this new profession—far from the life he had known—
Moses heard a voice that gave him this command.
"Fear ye not."

In the night, Gideon was threshing wheat.
Wheat was threshed in a hidden place so his oppressed people would have something to eat.
He and people in fear.
There appeared no hero on the horizon—
Just days of hopelessness, oppression, and despair.
The angel of the Lord came and spoke this loving command to Gideon.
"Fear not."