DO NOT BE AFRAID

Today's promise: God delights in those who honor him

Do not be afraid

The Lord who created you says: "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you." 

Isaiah 43:1-2 NLT

Two Margarets

Margaret MacLachlan and Margaret Wilson, Covenanters in Wigtown, Scotland, were tried for their faith on April 13, 1685, for refusing to take the Oath of Abjuration, which stated that the Church of God is a department of the State. Found guilty of rebellion, attending field meetings, and worshipping in places other than a church, they were ordered to receive their sentences on their knees. When they refused to bow before anyone but God, they were forced down to their knees and then were sentenced to death by drowning.

On May 11, 1685, the two faithful Margarets were tied to posts and staked in the sea as the tide was rising. The older Margaret (MacLachlan) was farther out. They were given many chances to recant their beliefs, but they stood firm and resolute.

Margaret MacLachlan remained silent, her eyes closed throughout the ordeal, communing with Christ until death. As the tide rose eighteen-year-old Margaret Wilson began to sing a Covenanter rendition of Psalm 25:7. Then, she recited from Romans 8: "We are more than conquerors through him that loves us.…"

After the waves washed over her head, the soldiers pulled her out, pleading with her one last time to "pray for the king!" She prayed, but her pray was, "Lord, give him repentance, forgiveness, and salvation, if it be Thy holy will." The angry soldiers threw her back into the water, and she joined Margaret MacLachlan before the throne.

We may never face the rising tide of the sea, but the deep waters of trouble and loss can be just as overwhelming. How do you react when you feel you are about to drown in the rising tide of your own troubles?

Adapted from The One Year® Book of Christian History by E. Michael and Sharon Rusten (Tyndale, 2003), entry for May 11.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House