“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).
Every now and then one could be gripped with fear because of certain events sweeping before one’s life journey. It could be the finances that are stretched and incomes are no longer certain. Perhaps it is one’s job under threat. Perhaps it is a dreaded health report card. There could be fear about outcome of a matter under judgment and what it might mean to one’s future.
Fear has been elsewhere described as “an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.” Every life will experience fear at one point. Whenever we are faced with fear it is natural to look for something to grasp on. Sometimes we run for shelter wherever we can find. Perhaps we might seek out a friend for quiet confidence.
But there are those situations when there is no shelter in sight. There are also those cases where those we thought would understand our situation once we share our pain return only hurting and critical feedback. In such moments we might then turn and look within ourselves only to find the energy has all been sapped by this gnawing fear. We feel down and the urge to rise and move on gone.
“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),” the word of God through prophet Isaiah assures us. But why? It is because the Lord has been there. He himself was faced with fear before his crucifixion but He looked to God.
Charles Spurgeon once wrote when faced with fear always remember, “Nothing is too hard for Him. He can find a way where there is no way. He can give us the idea that will make all the difference.” Psalm 91:2, says, “I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” So, when faced with fear, look to God to strengthen you. By looking to Him, the Lord will encourage and lift up your spirit, and make a way out of nowhere!
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I surrender to you any fear that is in me for I know by looking up to you, you will always make a way out of nowhere, this I pray in Jesus’s name!
Related upcoming events
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28/04/2024 - 29/04/2024 All day"The Lord is my shepherd!" (Psalm 23:1)
Psalm 23 of David is perhaps one of the best prayers ever written, with nuggets and inspirations, of benefit to us since and
ever before. “The LORD is my shepherd, “David begins.” I lack nothing” (vv 1). What is it that you lack? In his life David had started out as a shepherd, and he knew very well, that a shepherd’s job is to watch over his sheep, feed and water them, and since the Lord is our shepherd, we his sheep shall lack nothing.Verse 2 -3 says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” This exactly what a good shepherd does; he takes his sheep to the best fodder, ensuring that his sheep are well fed and rested. When the sheep are restless the good shepherd is troubled. Our God desires and is pleased when we are at peace.
Sometimes we may all find ourselves going through a storm. In Verse 4- 5, David says, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Christian life is not without difficulties, but here David points us to God as our comforter and deliverer. We always have the staff of prayer to lean on.
In Verse 5, he writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” In his tumultuous life, David had to battle with many enemies, ranging from King Saul, to foreigners and members of his own family. He knew a lot about betrayal. And, we too, may face enemies no less, from those that oppose us in our workplace for their ambition’s sake, to those who are not pleased because of the Gospel we preach. Yet here, just as David, we are assured that victory is on our side- this is why our cup overflows.
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (vv 6). The one who walks with God has a fresh smile ever, for God is with him. The blessings of God are with him wherever he goes.
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham,
maker of heaven and earth, as David prayed in Psalm 23, may I not be troubled, for you are my shepherd ever watching over me and your goodness goes ahead of me!
