Helped

Helped!

Isaiah 41:13 KJV

[13] For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

There is a fundamental truth to the saying that it matters who is backing you up. In a world of uncertainty and pain, it is really important that I know who I am, whose I am, who I serve and where I am headed. The clear understanding of the above will shape and mold my experiences into learning points, and keep me in line. Things may go wrong, as they would likely do in this world of sin, but when God backs you up, you are sure that nothing happens to you without His permission, and without first touching Him. The people the verse above was addressed to are God's servant Jacob/Israel, whom He had chosen, the seed of Abraham His friend. God spoke to the past, present and future of His servant and friend, reminding me that God knows all about me. The One who wrote down all the days appointed for me in His book, even before one of them came to pass, cannot be caught by surprise. 

For those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus, you have a special relationship to be nurtured and preserved. The Lord Himself is the One speaking here, reminding His servant and friend about His Omnipresence as well as His Omnipotence. When the Almighty God is on my side, it does not matter what the depth, quantity or quality of the opposition against me looks like. This is a God who promises me that because He fights for me, one of us shall chase a thousand, and two can put ten thousand to flight. He introduces Himself as "I, the Lord thy God" to show that it has to be personal and private first, before it holds any public value. Is there a point to claiming that I am a child of God in public, when God does not even know me as His own? He is Lord, and all who will claim Him as such must submit to and recognise His authority on a daily and regular basis. 

It cannot be a seasonal affair, where I only submit when it is convenient, and then push for my own way when it suits me. This God, who owns and holds the whole world, promises to hold my right hand. That is support, comfort and assurance of His close presence. It also reminds me to be very careful about where I go and what I do, as it will amount to utter foolishness to take God's Presence with me into deliberate and consistent sin, and still expect God to keep holding my hand. He hates and punishes unconfessed sin, no matter in whom it is found. His presence comforts me, and fear is distilled and quenched. God's presence does not give room for fear. God's presence assures me that I will be helped. A man who knows that he has been helped has no room for fear or pride. Is God your Helper, or do you have your alternative options? God's time of favour is here.