 |
| www.emblirary..com |
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
God speaks words of comfort and strength to Isaiah. He still speaks these words to people today. Because we are human, we tend to forget God is with us when we face dire circumstances. When we strike out on our own and become overwhelmed by the scenes we see.
When I have struck out on my own with a project, I usually find myself getting tense, nervous, and short-tempered. I have heard it said that God is not the author of confusion God is there for His children. He states his intention to be with us.
“So do not fear,” Fear says that we do not trust God. Fear is the opposite of faith.
“I am with you.” When we know God is with us, events go smooth. We all have had times where we were unsure about the way we are to go, but God stays with us guiding, directing, and keeping us safe.
“do not be dismayed,” My concordance tells me dismayed means ‘caused to fear.’ (1.) When I think of this word I think of the gospel song, “God Will Take Care of You.”(2.) God does take care of us.
“for I am your God,” God speaks words of assurance here. He made us and extended salvation to each of His children.
“I will strengthen you and help you” God makes a wonderful statement here. He promised to give us strength. How many times have we attempted something and felt weak? If we seek the LORD, He will give us the strength we need to complete the task. God has many ways to help us: Gifting us with mercy and grace, leading us to accomplish a difficult task, allowing us to rest, and listening to our prayers and our thoughts.
“I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,” God tells us how He will be there for us. He uses His right hand to keep us on track. We are to praise God for His deeds that allow us to grow closer to Him.
Have you had times of doubt and fear and realized later that God was there all along?
Oh yes!!! "Be not dismayed what ere betide, God will take care of you!" I love that old song. Yes, when we allow God to be in control of our plans and actions, we get a lot further without so much stress. When we jump out in our own strength we are usually bound to fail. It's difficult for us humans to remember to wait on God and seek His face first, so thankful for these timely reminders. Blessings to you today.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pam. We all have had the privilege of knowing God takes care of us. I am dealing with an issue He revealed to me two days ago. They yesterday, he revealed that I have an inconsistency in my beliefs. I spent time journaling about these things- I filled two full pages. Blessings to you.
DeleteI have, and sometimes those feeling threaten to overwhelm me. Thankfully though, God has been showing me many things, especially lately, that have helped me see and grow in Him. Appreciate this post, have been meditating along similar lines, so this is an encouragement. Thanks so much for your kind comment on my blog this week. I consider you a dear friend as well. :)
ReplyDeleteLove and hugs,
Karen
Karen: Thank you for your warm comment. We recently went near your town on our way to North Carolina and back. I prayed for you as we drove that stretch of the road. This is one of my very favorite verses. I try to share it when I send greeting cards to people.
DeleteThis is one of my favorite verses. It's pulled me through some scary times and calmed my troubled heart. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSusan: Thank you for your thoughts. It caused me to get my feet on the ground when I had an ongoing circumstance in my life. God worked it out to His favor and mine. Blessings to you.
DeleteHi Cecelia! I love this post! It s such a great reminder that God, our gracious God, is in control. "I will strengthen you. I will help you." It almost brings tears to my eyes to remember his love.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful reflection today,
Ceil
Thank you, Ceil. This was one of my friend's late sister's favorite scriptures. We heard it read at the sister's memorial service yesterday afternoon. I love the message of this passage. Blessings on you and yours.
Delete"I will uphold you with My righteous hand..." Wow, such great words of encouragement!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marja, for the warm thought. Yes, God encourages me with those word on a regular basis. Blessings to you and yours.
DeleteYes, I have "struck out on my own" thousands of times and like you, became tense and short-tempered. We were not made to order our own steps. God is God for a reason; He's smarter than us, and knows what is best!
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Jeanette. Haven't we been silly to try to strike out and go it alone? I'm thankful God forgives us when we do this.Blessings on you and yours.
Delete