No Fear!

No Fear! 

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

This is a personal message for me. 

The Context:

God calls nations to come before Him, to be silent, to listen to His reasons and basis for judgement of His people Israel and if they can, speak in their own defence. The men of the world think they are in total control of the affairs of this world, but little do they know that there is a King who rules over the affairs of the world, and when He commands, all men, including the mighty kings of the earth and the devil all obey. 

When He commands and backs up a man for a purpose, you and I can debate the rationale behind the purpose, but we can do nothing about it. If God has ordained it, He is sufficient to sustain it. You would wonder why God will hand over His own people to nations like Assyria or in this case, Cyrus, the king of Persia, and at other times, Babylon but when you think of God's view of rebellion and sin against Him, you know how God hates sin, and will punish all unconfessed sin, no matter in whom it is found. This must be a lesson for me personally: sin in a life is God's reason for judgment. If I will live away from judgement, I must live far away from sin. 

And in the event that you want to know the authority of the One who does these things, read this: Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord —with the first of them and with the last—I am he.” Who is it that can question such power and authority? 

No wonder the reaction of the nations and people who see these things is fear. As you look at what is going on today, is there no genuine reason to fear? You hear of and see people dying on a daily basis, and it does not appear that man's efforts are bearing fruit yet, so fear of the unknown is a natural reaction. Now, this is the thing about fear: it will push you into a course of action. Freezing out of fear is also a reaction, and in this case, seeking out help from gods that cannot help themselves, or men like yourself who are also fearful. 

The Message:

God knows that the world has and offers only fear. There is no art to understanding the world; its systems have been in place ever before any of us were created, so it is folly for anyone to think s/he is in charge of the world or can control it. The world will offer you its riches, yet take away peace of mind and contentment from you. The world will offer you its own goods, yet cannot guarantee you your own happy ending. That is why God's word here is a Word for this season. When He tells us "Fear Not", He knows the world, what it offers, what it takes away and what it cannot give, so He needs me to look away from all that, no matter how pressing and urgent they may be, and focus on WHO He is and WHAT He offers.

The counterbalance of fear is the Presence of God. Submission to God and acceptance of the authority of Jesus is the counterbalance of dismay. Both can't rule my heart at the same time; and there can be no vacuum at any point in time. By the working of God's rule, there can only be one Lord and Master at any one time. Nature abhors a vacuum. 

As I read this, I need to ask myself and also settle it in my heart: who is in charge here? The reality of one helps keep the other reality in context. If there was not one reality, there would be no need for the other reality. The reality I feed, by the things I focus and meditate on, grows. If I allow the reality of the devil's fear grow, it will choke out the reality of God's Presence. God knows the days of fear are coming; maybe they are here already, but if they are not here yet for you, before they come, God wants you to know who He is and what you get from Him. 

And the devil knows the value and power of the Presence of God in a man's heart, and that is why he will strive to replace the fear of God with other false realities. He wants to take my heart off God's assurance of healing and emphasize the doctors' prognosis. Everything I read or hear then reminds me of that prognosis. If the devil is able to keep my heart on the prognosis and not the Presence of God, he has succeeded in replacing the fear of God with the fear of situations in my heart. It may be that the problems are threatening to come, or they are already here, but God's promise of His Presence is in the present tense; always there, always available, an ever - present help in time of trouble. 

The controlling key here is the words: "I am with thee". No matter what goes on around me, I must keep this at the back of my mind that God's presence is what really matters. Men have come and gone, leaving the world the same way they came: with nothing. Yet, we think that man's promises are more important than God's presence. We seek to hold on to what is physical and tangible, forgetting that what really matters is that which the eye cannot see, yet is so real: the presence of God. When you have that, it doesn't really matter what else you don't have. When you don't have Him, it doesn't really matter what else you have.

I note the words I and MY are mentioned at least six times in this one verse, to show that it really matters who is backing you up. Men have and are still relying on intellect, influence, possession, power and position to define impact, and yet they cannot seem to understand why things don't work out the way they want it to. It has to be noted that I hold no power over my life; in fact, I don't own it. God is the creator and owner of all I am and have, and He defines my life and gives it meaning.

 

The Response:

Everything He offers flows from His understanding of what I really need. My human nature wants comfort and convenience; God knows I need maturity and experience, and what He offers flows from his knowledge of me. Check out the words: 'strengthen, help and uphold'. These are words used for people who need support, encouragement, advice and counsel. If I am self-sufficient, how does God offer me these? Would I value them? If I do not know myself and recognise my weakness, how can God reach me with all of these?

When God is helping you, vain is the opposition of man. When God is fighting your battles for you, vain is the quarrelling and striving of man. When God is upholding you, vain are the attempts of men to pull you down. The opposite is also equally true. God's nature and name are at stake here. He stakes His reputation on my life, because He knows that if my life shines out with His power, men will see and glorify God. It costs God nothing to display His splendour and power; the issue will be whether I allow Him shine out of me. All of God's promises flow out of who He is first. When he offers me help, it is because He is the Help of Israel. When he promises to uphold me, it is because He is the Strength and Lifter of my head, the One who is the Refuge and Fortress. It's not so much what He gives me, but first about who He is. If I have all of Him, I get to have all He is.

Right Hand of God's righteousness would mean a place of honour, prestige and glory, all tied to who God is. God will never give me something that does not tie to who He is, and His perfect will. With my limited knowledge of the present and future, would I strive for what I think is best for me, or what aligns with God's perfect will? It is in God's perfect will that my life will find meaning and impact. God will uphold me in His will, so if I am outside His will, I had better check what is holding me up. His nature is Righteousness, so I cannot continue in sin and expect that His grace will abound. It is quite easy to claim God's promise, but they only work when I am aligned with God's will, not when I am pursuing my own agenda.

So, where do you stand? I also ask myself the same question. Eternity beckons, and only men who have made the Most High God their confidence can look forward to all that is here or coming with hope. Settle accounts with God today, and enjoy the peace that comes from total trust in God. His time of favour is here.