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. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41: 10,13
Fear can be that sudden sense of panic with its heightened awareness allowing us to flee danger or it can come as a deep seated dread-a weariness of soul and spirit. In this world there are many things which attack our hearts with fear. It may be a fear that we will make the wrong decision concerning a job, the fear of failure, the fear of loneliness, fear of financial distress, fearfulness for a child, illness, or fear of the unknown. We know that there are unexpected storms. We know that we live within a world where evil happens-from pipe bombs to terror. As Christians we are certainly not exempt for such evil. Indeed, we may even be the target. We lock our doors, build walls around our hearts, and prepare to stand firm against whatever force comes. Yet, there is one fear; I daresay is the one that can destroy us faster than any other. That one we cannot build walls against, no barriers can keep it out; because, it is buried within our own heart and mind.
Does God really love me? That is the question which we ponder more often than not. For all other fears could be managed and even dealt easily with if I only truly believed this. Every trial that comes, every broken heart, every tear has meaning and purpose when it comes through the loving hands of my heavenly Father. If I truly believe that God loves me and His plan is always for my good, then what could I ever fear in this world? So, the question of fear comes down to this: “Do I really believe that God loves me?” Oh, yes I am well aware of John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He gave His only begotten Son to take upon Himself my sins, to bare my punishment and to provide for me salvation. I know that, I cling to that truth. So, why is it, I wonder if His love is big enough to hold me when I stumble or when my words come out all wrong? Rejection, brokenness is all too often a part of human love stories. It has certainly been a part of mine. Yet, the one truth that penetrated every part of my story has been God’s Unconditional, steadfast love that never left my side. It has been His hand that reached down each time to pull me out of depths of despair. Never once in all my 62 years of life has He failed me. When others abandoned me, He was there. When cancer, sorrows, pains were a constant in my life; God was there. When I awoke in the middle of night with doubts or worries, He was there with a love song to lull me back to sleep.
The children of Israel, so often had failed to follow after God. During times of prosperity, they would wonder off after idols. How often did they behave like a harlot; breaking the heart of God who loved them so? Yet, it was God’s loving voice that would call to them and plead to them to return to His loving arms.
It is the same for you and for me; for everyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. His cry to us is:
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. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41: 10,13
Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour Isaiah 43:1-3
[bctt tweet=”God loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love that will never let go.” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]Do not be afraid, God is for you.[/tweetthis]
[bctt tweet=”Do not look around you at what others might say, God is on your side.” username=”effiedarlene”]
[tweetthis]God is love. God is Good. God loves you. There is nothing to be afraid of.[/tweetthis]
photograph used by permission: https://unsplash.com/@katherinechasephotography
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2016
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.