Fear Not, For I am With You

In Isaiah 41: 10 we read “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". We are taught fear as small children. “Don't go near the stove, you could get burned!” “Stay away from the water's edge, you could fall in!” “Watch out for the tall grass; there may be snakes in there!” We hear these words of warning and suddenly begin to fear what “may” be. I remember the fear of a stove because one of my friends had scars on both arms and his chest from pulling a hot pan of grease off the stove, receiving scars that would last the rest of his life. When I was about 10 years old, I was cleaning some weeds away from some construction supplies for my dad when I was bit in the wrist by a Copperhead snake. I still have the marks of his fangs today, 60 years later. But there are many who fear everything. They fear about losing their jobs, their homes catching on fire, car accidents while driving, politics and world matters and speculations. Yet the Lord says “Fear Not” 71 times in the King James Version of the Bible, and these words “Fear Not” are recorded in Hebrew and Greek texts 80 to 110+ times ~pertaining to the translation. When reading Isaiah, the Lord does not only say “Fear not” he continues “For I am with you!” He also says, “For I am you God.” Then He adds two promises, 1~”I will strengthen you and help you: 2~I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Fear and faith will cancel each other. Fear cancels faith, and faith cancels fear! So when we give our fears to the Lord, He, in return, gives us His presence, cancels our fears, gives us strength, fulfills our needs, and upholds (protects) us with his righteous right hand! That is a BIG blessing and promise from the Lord! My wife used to work in a town near the Christian Academy our children attended. She had to cross a steep mountain to and from work each day. The Tuscarora Mountain is 2,485 feet above sea level at its highest peak. My wife drove a K-car which was a cheaply made car for economical travel in the mid 1980's. I prayed each day she would make it to and from work safely and asked the Lord to bless that cheaply made car. One morning, her car wouldn't start. But it ran perfectly the night before. When the towing man came, he looked under the hood, only to find the wiring was burnt to a crisp and said, “I have no idea how she even made it home last night?” I do! It was the Lord and “His mighty Hand!” The next time the enemy tries to convince you to trade your faith for fear, rebuke him and thank the Lord for the promises He gave in Isaiah Chapter 41 verse 10! Its more than a Bible verse, its a great blessing you can carry all the days of your life!