Edward T. Welch asks,
What is, by far, God’s most frequent command?
The usual suspects include “Do not commit adultery,” “Have no other gods before me,” and “Love one another.” The next group includes whatever commands you know you have violated, in which case they only feel as if they appear on every page of Scriptures.
The actual answer is “Do not be afraid.”
“Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.'” (Matthew 14:27) See also Genesis 15:1, 21:17; Numbers 21:34; Isaiah 54:4; John 14:27. “Do you get the sense that God is alert to your fears?” Welch asks in his relatively new book, Running Scared. From the publisher:
Welch encourages readers to discover for themselves that the Bible is full of beautiful words of comfort for fearful people (and that every single person is afraid of something). Within the framework of thirty topical meditations, Welch offers sound biblical theology and moment-by-moment, thoughtful encouragement for life-saving rescue in the midst of the heart and mind battlefield of rampant panic-stricken responses.
I thought it was “sing to the Lord.”
(I guess it depends on how one defines “commandment,” and the generic conventions of worship music.)
Phil, now you done stopped a-preachin’ and started in to meddlin’.