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Fear not – five promises from Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10 is one of my favourite bible verses and one I highly recommend you memorise. It includes five precious promises from God. Knowing and trusting in these promises will help us through all the storms that come in our lives, including the COVID-19 crisis we currently find ourselves in.

“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:10 will remind you of five promises God has made which can give you the confidence that you do not need to fear: “I am with you”, “I am your God”, “I will help you”, “I will strengthen you”, “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

thunderThese are words which inspire confidence and faith in the mighty God whom we serve. They are promises which will equip us for any battle or difficult storm. These promises were first delivered to God’s people, Israel, and now we too are the beneficiaries of these promises. This is because, through the glorious work of Christ, we are “no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). We need these promises because we can become fearful of things happening around us, we could be fearful of things which are yet to happen, but these promises from God will give us the confidence to overcome any fear.

I am with you

The first promise is about God’s presence “Do not fear, for I am with you.” There are several verses in the Bible that remind us that God has promised to be with us. Jesus said “…for I am with you until the end of the age”, He also said “I will not leave you as orphans, but I will come to you”, Paul wrote, “if God is for us, who can be against us?”. In Hebrews, we read “He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We are never alone because God is always with us. He is with us as we worship Him, He is with us and watches over us when we go to sleep, He is with us whether we are working, witnessing, servicing, or even if we end up at a doctor or a hospital. There is no place on this earth where God cannot be with us.

The Bible talks about the fact that the presence of God is everywhere in a general sense. The wicked cannot hide from Him. They can’t do things in the dark and not be seen by Him who sees everything everywhere (Psalm 33:13-14. Psalm 139:7-12).

But when we talk about God’s promise “I am with you” we are not talking about the general sense of Him being present everywhere. We are rather, talking about the fact God is with us personally – not only that He can see us, but that He is on our side. It is in that sense, He is with us.

God is with us, despite difficult circumstances, He is with us through the fierce storms of life, He is with us through the testing fire, He is with us when things are going well for us, He is with us when things are tough.

I am your God

I am your GodThe second wonderful promise of Isaiah 41:10 is “be not dismayed for I am your God,” or as another translation states “Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.”

God relates to His people in a most special way. In verses 8-9 of Isaiah 41, we read that God calls His people, His servant, His chosen ones, He has called them from the furthest parts of the earth. This applies first to Israel, whom God called out of the other nations. But it also applies to us as believers in Christ – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)

Because He is our God, we should keep our eyes fixed on Him. God’s promise gives us a reason not to look anxiously around us, which is very easy to do in this current crisis. Because He is our God, we do not need to look anxiously about all that is happening but can rest in the confidence that God is in control, and is watching over us.

I will strengthen you

The word here strengthen basically means to be courageous (of good courage, steadfastly minded, strong, stronger), and also to make strong.

When God strengthens us, He makes us courageous. In other words, He gives us the strength to face up to the battles we will face. He makes us courageous in those situations. Take for example the apostles of the Lord. They were so courageous in the face of such hostility from the religious authorities. But they weren’t like that at the cross when they fled. God made them courageous through His Spirit.

As followers of Christ, we are strengthened through the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul prays in Ephesians 3: “…you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”

God is with us, not just in the general sense, but He is within us, as the One who strengthens us. He gives us the courage to stand up in the battle.

I will help you

God Helps usBut so we don’t think that God equips us for battle and just sends us in alone, the next part of the promise is very important “I will help you.” I like the NASB translation which says “surely I will help you.”

God doesn’t just make us courageous, sends us in for a battle with everything we need, and then just watches us. He is with us, and He provides us with His divine help. This requires faith. God helps us at our point of need. When we need His help, He will be there. We need His strength to face up to the battle, but then we also need to trust that He will be there and give us the divine help we need right when we need it.

Think of Moses. God promised to be with him. Moses leads Israel to the Red Sea, and they are trapped between the sea and Pharaoh’s army. The people are fearful. What will they do now? What will Moses do now?

God didn’t give Moses a set of instructions to follow of how to lead Israel out of Egypt. He had to walk by faith. And when Moses was in this situation, God helped him, God was there and heard Moses’ cry. “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.”

We too need to walk by faith. And when we are stuck, it is to the Lord to whom we must look. He is the One who helps us, because He is with us wherever we are.

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

The last promise of Isaiah 41:10 gives us the assurance that God will keep us standing “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” This sounds wonderfully personal.

Unfortunately, many people think that God either does not exist (atheists) or that if He does exist, we wouldn’t be able to know (agnostics). But the truth that God has revealed to us in His word, is that He is both independent of the creation (He is self-existing and does not depend on the creation), but He also within it (at work in the world and part of our lives). Left to ourselves, we would easily fall. It is God who personally upholds us.

Take the time today to worship and adore Him who is gloriously above all things, and yet is also among us and within us.

Conclusion

We have five reasons to not fear:prayer

  • God is with us, not in the general sense, but in the specific sense in which God is by our side
  • He is our God – it is Him we must obey and fear, not people or circumstances
  • He will strengthen us – give us courage and make us strong
  • He will help us – give us divine help right when we need it
  • He will uphold us – to keep us from falling.

This gives us great assurance that in the middle of this storm we are in. God is not only above us and seeing what is happening, He is with us in the storm.

This reminds me of a beautiful hymn “I’ve seen the lightning flashing.

1. I’ve seen the lightning flashing,

And heard the thunder roll;

I’ve felt sin’s breakers dashing,

Trying to conquer my soul;

I’ve heard the voice of Jesus, Telling me still to fight on;

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

 

No, never alone,

No, never alone,

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone;

 

2. The world’s fierce winds are blowing,

Temptations are sharp and keen;

I feel a peace in knowing My Savior stands between;

He stands to shield me from danger,

When earthly friends are gone,

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

 

3. When in affliction’s valley,

I’m treading the road of care,

My Savior helps me to carry

My cross when heavy to bear;

My feet entangled with briars,

Ready to cast me down;

My Savior whispered His promise,

Never to leave me alone.

 

4. He died for me on the mountain,

For me they pierced His side,

For me He opened that fountain,

The crimson, cleansing tide;

For me He waiteth in glory,

Seated upon His throne;

He promised never to leave me,

Never to leave me alone.

David Toma

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