Posted: 17 March 2023

From a sermon given on 12 March 2023:

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
(Isaiah 41:10 )

Fear is the tool the enemy uses to stifle our confidence in Christ and distract us away from God. The Israelites had a real reason for fear. The future looked grim and no light seemed to appear at the end of the tunnel. All that was before them was uncertainty, anxiety and hopelessness. "If unchecked, fear was going to cause them to shrink in the face of struggles , opposition and persecution."

The statement "fear not" is what they needed to hear most. “That God was not going to visit them occasionally but was going to be with them at all times was very timely, assuring and encouraging.” He also promised them that he was going to strengthen them and uphold them with his righteous right hand.

And the scenario may not be different today. "We are faced with uncertainty, anxiety and hopelessness as a result of what is ahead of us. Fear weakens our faith and makes us ineffective and unproductive in the kingdom. It is one of the tools the devil deploys in order to paralyze believers and limit their potential."

But we can hear the small still voice whispering , "Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Further readings:

Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
(Psalm 31:24)

Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
(Joel 3:10)

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
(1 Peter 5:10)