God’s promises are greater than fear.

…fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

The most repeated command in all of scripture is some variation of “fear not”. God knows how anxious our souls can become. He knows how fear, worry, sorrow, and pain can combine in a toxic cocktail that can sicken our souls, weaken our strength, and diminish our faith. And so He commands us not to fear.

But such a command by itself becomes almost ludicrous. Telling an anxious person “do not fear” is like telling a baby to stop crying! Anxiety is not logical and feels uncontrollable. There is not a switch to turn off. It is a condition — a set of circumstances — to understand, manage, review, and contemplate. That is why although there are two commands (do not fear; be not dismayed) in this verse, there are also five promises. And it is in these five promises that we find the power to obey the commands.

Do not fear. Why? “I am with you.” God is with us in our anxious moments. He is beside us in our fear and anxiety. He is in the midst of our bewildering and scary circumstances. We often fear what we think we face alone. But good theology reminds us that God is present and powerful with us at all times!

Don’t be anxious. Why? “I am your God.” The character and the power and the person of God are all “ours”! God is our God. The Creator of the universe is with us… is for us…is our God… is right here with us in all that we know and face in life.This is the perspective that will diminish dismay and extinguish anxiety.

And God promises to support us in three ways: 

“I will strengthen you.” — He resources us to be stronger than what we fear.

“I will help you.” — He provides assistance beyond what we can find when limited by our fear.

“I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” — He backs us up, embraces us, puts His strong arm around us so what we fear never ends in failure.

Thank You, Lord! I don’t have to be anxious or afraid! You are with me. You are my God. You are for me. You are my strength. You are my help. You hold me up. I will not fear. I will not be dismayed.

Amen