From Fear to Freedom

Gideon had much to fear as he hid in the wine press threshing wheat. He feared the fierce Midianites, Amalekites, and other armies who invaded their land, “like swarms of locusts” leaving nothing behind (Judges 6:5). It wasn't until he encountered the angel of the LORD that he began to shift from the fear of man to fear of God. After realizing that he spoke to and saw the LORD face-to-face, he felt genuine terror. Yet God assured him that he would not die but instead be transformed into a mighty warrior who would destroy all his enemies (Judges 6:16). This change began with his heartfelt prayer for help. God mercifully answered by revealing his plan of rescue, calling him to repentance and then empowering him by the Spirit to serve in humility.

Cries to the Lord for Help

The story of Gideon opens with a summary of the discipline Israel experiences because of their rebellion against God. Due to the oppression by their enemies, they “cry out to the LORD for help” (Judges 6:6). As seen throughout Scripture, when they call out to the Lord, He answers (Judges 6:7). He sends a prophet to remind them of God’s covenant faithfulness in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and delivering them from their enemies. His message reminds them—and us—that their current suffering is not an accident or coincidence but the result of their sin and idolatry since they refuse to worship God alone. Through this message, they are once again reminded that God is the sovereign LORD, who rules and reigns over all people and situations. He not only has the power to protect and deliver them from oppressors but can use the same oppressors to discipline them when needed.  

God Encounters Gideon

The scene shifts to Ophrah, where the angel of the LORD comes to speak with and commission Gideon. He begins by addressing Gideon as one who is accompanied by the LORD and, as a result, is a “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Gideon feels like anything but a fierce warrior and reminds God of the reality of his situation—that he is from the weakest clan in his tribe and the “least” of his family (Judges 6:15). He pours out his heart, showing that while he receives the prophetic word about their discipline, he misunderstands the heart and character of God. He views the LORD’s discipline as evidence that He has “abandoned” Israel (Judges 6:13), rather than seeing it as designed by God to turn them from idolatry to true worship. By seeking Gideon in his place of fear and unbelief, the LORD is revealing his character as the covenant-keeping God who disciplines those he loves but will not forsake his beloved (Psalm 37:28). 

Promise to Rescue and Bring Victory

In addressing Gideon’s false assumption that they have been forsaken by God, the angel of the LORD states the truth: that the Lord will be with him to help him fight against and destroy all the Midianites, “leaving none alive” (Judges 6:17). To overcome Gideon’s fear and unbelief, God provides a powerful display—sending fire from the staff of the angel of the LORD to consume the wet sacrifice, and later providing two signs with the fleece. These miracles turn Gideon’s gaze from his people’s helpless estate back to God, who has the power to accomplish all things (Luke 1:37). 

Call to Repent

Before God can use Gideon to lead his people to freedom, he has to turn from idolatry, fear, and unbelief to begin walking in trust again. God instructs him to tear down and destroy the Asherah pole and the altar of Baal that his father has built. Taking it a step further, he is to use the wood from the pole to burn a sacrifice to God and then “build a proper kind of altar to the LORD” (Judges 6:26). These steps require Gideon to renounce idol worship and shift from fearing man to fearing and standing in awe of God. This process marks another important part of his transformation. By obeying God over man, Gideon demonstrates his commitment to the LORD’s ways and is ready to serve as the spiritual and military leader under the Commander of the angel armies. 

Empowered by the Spirit

The next scene shows the enemies joining together to attack Israel. In the past, everyone runs in fear, hiding to preserve their lives and resources. But here we see Gideon beginning to live out his new identity as a “mighty warrior.” His encounter with God’s truth and repentance paves the way for the Spirit to work, who comes upon Gideon and empowers him (Judges 6:34) to rally the troops to fight the same enemies they have always feared. Instead of hiding in the wine press, he stands and encourages others to also stand and fight. This new bravery and leadership from Gideon encourages the Israelites to face their fears and join together to fight their enemies. They are also being transformed from terrified men to mighty warriors who serve the LORD.

Fighting in the Strength of His Might

Before the battle begins, God steps in again as the commander of the army to reestablish the parameters of the fight. Now that Gideon has been empowered by the Spirit and the troops have gained courage, God wants them and all of Israel to remember that He alone is responsible for the outcome of this battle. To prevent them from boasting when they win, He reduces their troop from 22,000 men to 300 (Judges 7:1-8). He then commands them to “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands” (Judges 7:9). He provides another miraculous sign—a prophetic dream given to the enemy and overheard by the Israelite spies—to further encourage the soldiers who are afraid and remind them that He will be with them (Judges 7:10-15). When they blow the trumpet for battle, the LORD fights for them, causing their enemies to turn on each other and kill one another (Judges 7:22).

What Can We Learn from This?

God establishes a clear pattern for rescue and deliverance from fear in this passage that can be applied to our lives. When we encounter fierce opposition and become intimidated and afraid, we need to cry out to the LORD in humility, asking Him to help and deliver us. When He answers, as He always does, we need to be prepared for a truth encounter with His Word by the Spirit as He reveals our true identity, along with the lies we believe about Him that have kept us in bondage to fear. This revelation should lead us to take specific steps of repentance as we turn away from idolatry, fear, and unbelief to trust in the LORD alone for everything. As we turn away from sin and fear and embrace trust in the Lord, we begin to experience a fresh filling and empowering of His Spirit to stand against the enemies of our souls. This standing is not in our strength but in the strength of His might as we put on the whole armor of God and then go out in Gospel peace to fulfill His Great Commission (Ephesians 6:10).

What wine press are you hiding out in today? Like me, have you forgotten that you are a “mighty warrior” in the LORD, called to turn away from the fear of man and self-protection so that you can serve him wholeheartedly? God’s transforming encounter with Gideon takes place over a matter of days and completely reverses his situation from one of defeat to victory. He remembers who he is and gains fresh confidence in God’s power, presence, and goodness. As a result, God becomes bigger, and his fear of man shrinks and diminishes almost overnight. He can do the same for us when we humble ourselves and cry out for help, submit to His truth, repent of our idolatry, and then stand in His strength to do all that He commands.

“Therefore go and disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

50 Days of Promises to Overcome Fear

About three years ago, I hit an impasse in what seemed to be a lifelong struggle with fear. I had been reading books on how to overcome fear of the future, fear of man, and fear of persecution, and watching movies about seemingly fearless people like Eric Liddell and Nate Saint, who faced suffering and persecution head-on and came out victoriously, trusting God. I memorized 1 Peter on the certainty of suffering, along with key passages that promised God's protection amid fearful experiences. But nothing seemed to shift in my mind. After a year of sleepless nights, where I would wake up with a myriad of fears staring me in the face, I knew something had to change.

A Flicker of Light

I began asking my husband to pray with me for a breakthrough. His advice as a theologian was simple enough—meditate on and memorize Romans 5-6 and ask the Lord to help me understand my new position in union with Christ. This was a concept that was difficult for me to grasp, but in desperation, I decided to take his advice. Each night throughout much of the summer, I went to bed reading Romans 5 and 6 and asking God the Holy Spirit to open my mind to help me truly believe that I was no longer a slave to fear—something I knew in my head but had not taken to heart. As I came to Romans 6, I began replacing the word "sin" with "fear" each time I encountered it and declared with determination, often out loud, "What shall we say then? Shall we go on living in 'terrifying fear' so that grace may increase? By no means; we died to 'terrifying fear.' How can we live in it any longer?" As I made my way through these verses repeatedly in prayer, something began to change. I saw a flicker of light as my heart was moved in trust that what God promised here about my new position and identity in Christ was true. Instead of reading Romans 6 with the hope that one day I might truly believe I had died with Christ to sin's power and had been raised up with Him and seated with Him, I began to reckon on it by faith that it was absolutely true—God said it, and by faith I believed it.

Reckoning on God's Truth

God used Romans 5 to assure me of my new position in union with Christ as one who had "now" been justified by faith so that I had peace with God (Romans 5:1-5). He spoke to me through His promises in Romans 6, reminding me that I was justified by faith and united with Christ in His death and resurrection so that I no longer had any obligation to obey the sinful desires of my flesh or live in fear. He showed me through these promises that after reckoning on my freedom in union with Christ, I needed to begin actively taking these thoughts "captive to the obedience of Christ," and “[demolishing] arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5). His Word showed me that the only way to destroy these strongholds of fear, grounded on lies, was by trusting in His promises and allowing them to replace the lies I was believing. This not only meant believing the truth but also getting rid of or casting down the lies so that I would no longer live in double-mindedness—with fear tormenting me alongside God's assurance that He had not given me a spirit of fear (James 1:6).

Taking Thoughts Captive to Christ's Obedience

I lived for decades in a very passive mental state, allowing myself to think and dwell on whatever came to mind and letting thoughts drag me wherever they wanted. For this reason, learning to take thoughts captive was initially a seemingly impossible journey. The idea that God wanted me to come to His promises with expectant hope that His powerful Word and Spirit in prayer would destroy the lies was almost unfathomable to me. The Lord reminded me of passages that showed the power of His Word, which He declared to be like "fire" and a "hammer" with the ability to shatter rocks, and like a "double-edged sword" with supernatural power to discern the innermost parts of a person's heart and soul (Jeremiah 23:29; Hebrews 4:12). The reality began to sink in that the Word was truly this powerful, and the choice was up to me whether I would reckon on it and then stand by faith on His promises or trust my feelings.

Praying God's Promises and Trusting Him to Answer

During this time, my husband and I watched the biography of Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor who was imprisoned for his faith by the Nazis and the Communists in Romania during the war and up to the mid-60s—about 14 years. Wurmbrand was running an underground church and sharing the Gospel with communist officers and knew that his arrest was imminent. Rather than live in terrifying fear, he began meditating on and memorizing passages against fear in the Bible—one for each day of the year. When he was arrested and put in the back of a car on the way to a prison camp, he asked his captors what day it was. They mocked him, not realizing that his only reason to be concerned about the date was so that he could quickly remember the verse he had memorized for that day and meditate on it so that he did not give in to fear.

I realized that I could do something similar by taking a different passage against fear every day, meditating on it, and praying through it that God would work faith in my heart regarding that promise. I went online and copied and pasted 70 days of passages against fear and decided to start there. From what the Lord had been teaching me, I knew it was important to not only know the passage but to understand the context of it, so I decided to read the chapter before and after to get a big-picture view of what was happening. After reading the passage, I tried to summarize it as best as I could and then wrote down a list of things that the person or people had to fear. After this, I wrote out a prayer, repenting of the ways I had given in to fear in these areas and committing my heart to trusting God in place of the fear.

During this time, I was going through a trial that was generating new fear in my heart. I woke up each day and went through the process of praying, reading, and meditating on the fear passage only to go into the day feeling somewhat terrified and wondering if there would ever be a breakthrough. I remember telling the students I was teaching at that time about my battle against fear and how I was trusting God to hear my prayers and help me walk in new freedom as I prayed through these passages. Somewhere around the 50th day, something began to shift, and for the first time in my life, a new kind of courage began to swell in my heart. When I thought of the future, God looked bigger than the boogie man of vain speculation and impending doom. When I thought of suffering, I could see God's sovereign presence and help there, along with His assurance that He would be with me like He was with Israel and others like Richard Wurmbrand.

Returning to trust in His Promises

It would be great if we could keep walking in freedom in areas where we've had previous struggles. But the reality of our spiritual lives is very similar to that of our physical ones—if we ignore either, problems will return. I'm learning in a new season of challenges in my life that I need to walk back through the promises of Romans 5-6 and 2 Corinthians 10:5 and pray again through God's commands not to fear. I’m going back through my fear passages starting this week and praying through them each morning. I’ve included a list of the 50 passages below. If you’re also struggling with fear, I hope you’ll join me in this step to finding freedom in Christ. 

50 Verses for Overcoming Fear 

1. Deuteronomy 1:21 – See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

2. Deuteronomy 1:29 – Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them.’

3. Deuteronomy 3:2 – The Lord said to me ‘Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon

4. Deuteronomy 3:22 – Do not be afraid of them; the Lord you God himself will fight for you.

5. Deuteronomy 7:18 – But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.

6. Deuteronomy 20:1 – When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 

7. Deuteronomy 20:3 – He shall say: ‘Hear, Israel: today you are going into battle against your enemies.Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them.’

8. Deuteronomy 31:6 – ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’

9. Deuteronomy 31:8 – ‘The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’

10. Joshua 1:9 – ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’

11. Joshua 8:1 – Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.’

12. Joshua 10:8 – The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.’

13. Joshua 10:25 – Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.’

14. Joshua 11:6 – The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots. 

15.   Judges 6:23 – But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.’

16. I Samuel 4:20 – As she was dying the women attending her said, ‘Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.’ But she did not respond or pay any attention.’

17.  I Samuel 12:20 – ‘Do no be afraid,’ Samuel replied. ‘You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.’

18.  I Samuel 22:23 – Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.’

19. I Samuel 23:17 – ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You shall be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.’

20.   I Samuel 28:13 – The king said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. What do you see?’

21.  II Samuel 9:7 – ‘Don’t be afraid,’ David said to him, ‘for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and  you will always eat at my table.’

22. I Kings 17:13 – Elijah said to her, ‘Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and make something for yourself and your son.’

23. II Kings 1:15 – The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.’ So Elijah got up and went down with him to the king.  

24.   II Kings 6:16 –  ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’

25.  II Kings 19:6 – Isaiah said to them, ‘Tell your master, “This is what the Lord says: do not be afraid of what you have heard – those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.”’

26.  II Kings 25:24 – Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. ‘Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials, he said. ‘Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go will with you.’

27. I Chronicles 22:13 – Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave to Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. 

28.  I Chronicles 28:20 – David also said to Solomon his son, ‘Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the tempe of the Lord is finished.’

29.  II Chronicles 20:15 – He said: ‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s”’

30. II Chronicles 20:17 – “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. God out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.”

31.  II Chronicles 32:7 – ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.’

32.  Nehemiah 4:14 – After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.’

33.  Job 5:21 – You will be protected from the last of the tongue, and need not fear when destruction comes.

34. Job 11:15 – then, free of fault, you will lift up your face; you will stand firm and without fear.

35.   Job 21:9 – Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not on them.

36.   Psalm 3:6 – I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

37. Psalm 4:8 – In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

38.   Psalm 16:7-9 I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.

39. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

40.   Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? 

41.   Psalm 27:3 – Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

42.   Psalm 29:11 – The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. 

43.   Psalm 46:2 – Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.

44.   Psalm 49:16 – Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendour of their houses increases;

45. Psalm 56: 3-4 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 

46.   Psalm 56:11 – in God I trust and not afraid. What can man do to me? 

47.   Psalm 78:53 – He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies.

48.   Psalm 91:5 – You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

49. Psalm 94:19 – When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

50.   Psalm 118:6 — The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

From Persecution to Preaching, Missions and Discipleship

Jesus is our forerunner who left behind an example for us to follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21). He taught, preached and lived the Gospel message of the cross showing that in this world we will suffer persecution for righteousness' sake (John 16:33). At the same time, he demonstrated resurrection power that enabled him to continue advancing the Gospel amid great persecution. 

Like the Messiah, the apostle Paul did not allow persecution to shut him down, silence the Gospel or thwart the advancement of the Kingdom of God. He embraced Jesus’ warning about imminent suffering and then passed it on to faithful witnesses wherever he went, declaring that “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). He proclaimed this in sober-mindedness after returning to Lystra, where he had been thrown out of town, stoned and left to die.

The disciples witnessed first-hand the cost of discipleship as they “gathered around him” and encouraged him (Acts 14:20). Likely to their surprise and certainly to ours, he threw off the rocks and returned to the city, showing his determination. Though he didn’t remain there, his return to town testified to the believers and his opponents that he was not afraid of man but lived in the fear and awe of God. What seemed like superhuman strength and resilience was the indwelling Holy Spirit, who upheld him with “the same power that raised Jesus from the dead” (Romans 6:4-5, 8:11).  As he later testified in Philippians 1:28, this was not only a sign of God’s power but a declaration of God’s judgment on his enemies.

From persecution to preaching and missions

It seems sensible that anyone who had narrowly escaped death would take steps to preserve their life. But since Paul’s interest in the Gospel overshadowed his human desire for self-preservation this was not the case. Instead, he declared that “if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8). He considered everything – even his own life – garbage compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8), which enabled him to joyfully and repeatedly take gigantic risks for the sake of the Gospel. The greater goal for Paul was to “finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus [had] given to [him] – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).

As a result, Paul left town and went to Derby, where he preached again and “won a large number of disciples” (Acts 14: 21). There, Agabus gave a prophecy concerning his imprisonment and persecution by the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 21:12), and many of the believers tried to discourage him from continuing his preaching and missionary work. But Paul assured them that the Holy Spirit had already prepared him for this, showing him that “prison and hardships” were ahead (Acts 20:23). Paul knew that this persecution was not a sign of God’s disfavor but instead an indication of his favor and the efficacy of the Gospel as Jesus promised: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11-12). 

Over the course of about 35 years of ministry, Paul was imprisoned three times, shipwrecked, beaten, in danger from bandits and fellow Jews, and thrown out of cities. He provides a summary of some of this suffering in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33, showing that it was not an incidental matter but something that marked his entire life as an apostle. At the same time, his accomplishments by the Spirit’s power were immense. He embarked on four missionary journeys over 16 years to about 50 cities, traveling about 10,000 miles and helping to plant at least 14 churches. 

From persecution to teaching and discipleship

In addition to preaching the Gospel and planting growing communities of Christ-followers, he helped them to build healthy leadership by appointing elders, who taught them to fast and pray for wisdom. He discipled many people including Timothy, Mark, Luke, Onesimus and other traveling companions. While in prison he wrote four epistles, using his experiences to encourage and equip the believers to stand strong in their faith and to devote their lives to God. Through those same Epistles he has and will continue to disciple billions of believers around the world. 

God's unstoppable servants and message

Like Jesus and the apostle Paul, we may experience intense opposition and persecution from proclaiming the Gospel and calling people to repentant faith in Jesus Christ. But we do not need to shrink back in fear or leave our calling because of this (Hebrews 10:39). As we follow the Lord’s and the apostle Paul’s examples, we will be encouraged and empowered by the Spirit to patiently endure. Like Paul, we will be able to declare, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). God the Holy Spirit will strengthen us with his resurrection power in our hardships and weaknesses so that we can throw off the stones of rejection, abuse and slander and continue teaching, preaching and making disciples. God has promised he’s with us and will not forsake us and that the very gates of hell not prevail against us in the advancement of the Gospel (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 16:17-19). 

Personal reflection

I still remember the peaceful face of the student who responded to my sober reminder that we would have to suffer great persecution and hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Her reply came quickly and was both simple and true, “It’s hard, but he’s worth it!” While no one, including the Lord Jesus or the apostle Paul, enjoys pain, suffering and rejection, we can endure it knowing it’s for the cause of Christ and his Kingdom. As Paul reminds us “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17). And there will come a day very soon when “He will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until that time, we need to heed Christ’s call to put our hands to the Gospel plow and press on with patient endurance, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). The same joy that was set before him and propelled him onward is available to us as we yield our very lives to Christ, trusting and following him wherever he calls us to go. 

“… fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmrTvDoqvMM