What's scaring you today? Is it the illness of a child, fears of death, loss of income and security? Is it your marriage – are you frightened of the possibility that lies within you to throw it all away, to run from the responsibility and disillusionment regarding your own strength? Has the unfaithfulness of man made you frightened that your God will leave you as well? Can I encourage you to go to the word of the Lord as given to the prophet, Isaiah? At least 8 times, this command comes from our God: "Fear Not!" With the command comes encouragement, the reason to be strong: "I am with you!"
Read these passages, memorize them, write them on your heart:
ISAIAH 40:27-WHY DO YOU SAY, O JACOB, AND SPEAK, O ISRAEL, 'MY WAY IS HIDDEN FROM THE LORD? AND MY RIGHT IS DISREGARDED BY MY GOD'? HAVE YOU NOT KNOWN? HAVE YOU NOT HEARD? THE LORD IS THE EVERLASTING GOD, THE CREATOR OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. HE DOES NOT FAINT OR GROW WEARY, HIS UNDERSTANDING IS UNSEARCHABLE. HE GIVES POWER TO THE FAINT, AND TO HIM WHO HAS NO MIGHT HE INCREASES STRENGTH. EVEN YOUTHS SHALL FAINT AND BE WEARY AND YOUNG MEN SHALL FALL EXHAUSTED; BUT THEY WHO WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH, THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY, THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT."
ISAIAH 41:4 WHO HAS PERFORMED AND DONE THIS, CALLING THE GENERATIONS FROM THE BEGINNING? I AM THE LORD, THE FIRST AND WITH THE LAST; I AM.
ISAIAH 41:9B-10: FEAR NOT! I AM WITH YOU, BE NOT DISMAYED FOR I AM YOU GOD; I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU, I WILL HELP YOU, I WILL UPHOLD YOU WITH MY VICTORIOUS RIGHT HAND.
ISAIAH 41:12B-14: … THOSE WHO WAR AGAINST YOU SHALL BE AS NOTHING AT ALL. FOR I, THE LORD YOUR GOD, HOLD YOUR RIGHT HAND; IT IS I WHO SAY TO YOU, 'FEAR NOT, I WILL HELP YOU. FEAR NOT, YOU WORM JACOB, YOU MEN OF ISRAEL! I WILL HELP YOU, SAYS THE LORD; YOUR REDEEMER IS THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL.
ISAIAH 43:1ff: BUT NOW SAYS THE LORD, HE WHO CREATED YOU, O JACOB, HE WHO FORMED YOU, O ISRAEL: 'FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU; I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME, YOU ARE MINE. WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS I WILL BE WITH YOU; AND THROUGH THE RIVERS, THEY SHALL NOT OVERWHELM YOU; WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH FIRE YOU SHALL NOT BE BURNED, AND THE FLAME SHALL NOT CONSUME YOU. FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, YOUR SAVIOUR.
ISAIAH 43:5 FEAR NOT FOR I AM WITH YOU …I WILL GATHER YOU… MY SONS FROM AFAR AND MY DAUGHTERS FROM THE END OF THE EARTH, EVERYONE WHO IS CALLED BY MY,NAME, WHOM I CREATED FOR MY GLORY, WHOM I FORMED AND MADE.'
ISAIAH 44:2FF THUS SAYS THE LORD WHO MADE YOU, WHO FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB AND WILL HELP YOU: FEAR NOT, O JACOB MY SERVANT, JESHURUN WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN. FOR I WILL POUR WATER ON THE THIRSTY LAND, AND STREAMS ON THE DRY GROUND; I WILL POUR MY SPIRIT UPON YOUR DESCENDANTS AND MY BLESSING ON YOUR OFFSPRING. THEY SHALL SPRING UP LIKE GRASS AMID WATERS, LIKE WILLOWS BY FLOWING STREAMS. THIS ONE WILL SAY, 'I AM THE LORD'S, ANOTHER WILL CALL HIMSELF BY THE NAME OF JACOB AND ANOTHER WILL WRITE ON HIS HAND, 'THE LORD'S' AND SURNAME HIMSELF BY THE NAME OF ISRAEL.'
ISAIAH 44:6-8 THUS SAYS THE LORD, THE KING OF ISRAEL AND HIS REDEEMER, THE LORD OF HOSTS: I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST; BESIDES ME THERE IS NO GOD. WHO IS LIKE ME? LET HIM PROCLAIM IT, LET HIM DECLARE AND SET IT FORTH BEFORE ME. WHO HAS ANNOUNCED FROM OF OLD THE THINGS TO COME? LET THEM TELL US WHAT IS YET TO BE. FEAR NOT, NOR BE AFRAID; HAVE I NOT TOLD YOU FROM OF OLD AND DECLARED IT? AND YOU ARE MY WITNESSES! IS THERE A GOD BESIDES ME? THERE IS NO ROCK; I KNOW NOT ANY.
ISAIAH 45:5-8 "I AM THE LORD, AND THERE IS NO OTHER, BESIDES ME THERE IS NO GOD. I GIRD YOU THOUGH YOU DO NOT KNOW ME THAT MEN MAY KNOW, FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN AND FROM THE WEST THAT THERE IS NONE BESIDES ME; I AM THE LORD AND THERE IS NO OTHER. I FORM LIGHT AND DARKNESS, I MAKE WEAL AND CREATE WOE, I AM THE LORD, WHO DO ALL THESE THINGS.
ISAIAH 45:21FF AND THERE IS NO OTHER GOD BESIDES ME, A RIGHTEOUS GOD AND A SAVIOUR; THERE IS NONE BESIDES ME. TURN TO ME AND BE SAVED, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH! BY MYSELF I HAVE SWORN, FROM MY MOUTH HAS GONE FORTH RIGHTEOUSNESS, A WORD THAT SHALL NOT RETURN: 'TO ME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW, EVERY TONGUE SHALL SWEAR.'
ONLY IN THE LORD, IT SHALL BE SAID OF ME, ARE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND STRENGTH…
