Fear Not

“You whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 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…. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you”” (Isaiah‬ ‭41:9-10,13‬ ‭ESV‬‬).

I’m walking in new territory, experiencing things I’ve never experienced, feeling emotions that have, thankfully, kept their distance until now. I’m sad, a bit lonely, and scared, too. Friends and family, and brothers and sisters in Christ, are around me, offering reassuring words of peace and comfort.

But there are some pains that words can do little to assuage. Though they walk with you, you feel a bit alone nonetheless.

I’ve lost loved ones before, including a father-in-law not long ago. But nothing prepares you for the loss of a parent. Time is short, and I’ve been spending more time with my father lately. He’s ready to go, though I’m not quite ready to let go.

As is often the case with fathers and sons, we haven’t always seen eye to eye. We’ve had some good times too, but when the end is near I find it difficult to see past my portion of guilt.

So today, when I was looking through my list of scriptures that I have for blog ideas, I was surprised to see this scripture. I don’t remember adding it to the list, and I read through the list every few days! Yet as God frequently does, He positioned these verses in front of me at just the right time.

I needed to be reminded, and perhaps you do too, that He is always with us. We don’t have to cry out loudly as though He were sequestered away in Heaven, oblivious to our needs. We don’t have to wonder how we’ll ever get through “this” without Him.

He said that we don’t have to be afraid because He is our God. He promised that He will strengthen us and hold us up when we feel ourselves begin to fall beneath the weight of our circumstances. With His right hand He holds us up, and with His left hand He grasps our right.

Sometimes all we need is a hand to hold.

When we face difficult situations, we each still have a path that we must walk. But what a comfort it is that the God who created everything is holding my hand and your hand.

Blessings on your day!