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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“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.”

“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.”

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,’” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 41:10-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I had a conversation with a couple today and the topic of ISIS came up. Unless you have been in a deep sleep over the last year or so, you are well aware of this terrorist organization and the heinous disregard for human life that they hold as one of their standards. This couple was not from the United States and had a concern about the spread of terrorist acts that had struck Europe of late, wondering if their home nation wasn’t one who would experience it next.

In the midst of that conversation, I assured them that no matter how much evil and darkness we might see in our world today, there is so much more goodness and light present in the way people help and love others, exponentially more. It’s just that we don’t hear about that goodness in the midst of a media that thrives on reporting the worst that is going on in our world. Watch any edition of the news and you’ll definitely see what I am talking about. Beatings and murders and robberies or any other crime you could think of gain the headlines, so much so that it would be easy to see our world only through that lens and find yourself living in fear every day wondering whether or not you will be victimized next.

Have you ever found yourself there, living afraid of something bad happening to you?

I think we all have. It doesn’t need to be fear of some crime against you. It could be a fear of sickness or fear of financial failure or fear of losing a job or a mate. There are a ton of things that could bring us to a feeling of frightfulness and terror, paralyzing us in the world of what might come when we have no way of really knowing what is ahead.

This is why our scripture today is so critical for us to write on our hearts and minds for it offers us comfort and assurance and peace to deal with the things in life we might come to fear. Look again at these words from the Lord:

“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.”

“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.”

“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, you worm Jacob, little Israel, do not fear, for I myself will help you,’” declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.  Isaiah 41:10-14

My friends, the word of God is truth. He does not speak falsehood. And so when He says anything, you can believe and trust in it.

For those of you who are afraid of something in your life, God says to you:

“Do not fear, for I am with you”

For those of you who feel distress over something, God says to you:

“Do not be dismayed, for I am your God”

For those who feel weak or have been made to feel weak and insignificant by someone who is abusive, God says to you:

“I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

For those of you who are afraid of an enemy who may be threatening to come against you, God says:

“All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.”

For those of you who feel alone and unable to stand against what you fear, God says to you:

“I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.”

In the end translation, it’s simple. God is reminding us that we don’t face things in this world alone. He is with us and if He, with all His infinite power is for us, then who truly can come against us? (Romans 8:31) Is there anyone who can rival the Lord God Almighty, the Creator and Maker of all things, the King and Master of all creation?

The answer is no one. No one can even come close in matching what God can do and with Him on our side, we have an almighty Redeemer and Protector and Rescuer who is with us and for us.

So, what are we afraid of?

Perhaps, we would be best served to remember all that God is and trust Him to watch over us in the midst of life’s dangers and difficulties. For when we fully place our hope in the One who can do all things, then and only then can we find strength to make it through and experience, not fear but peace, and not any peace but a peace that transcends all understanding, a peace that only comes from the Lord God Almighty, the God who is with us (Philippians 4:6-7, 13).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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