June’s Winning Devotion — Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10, NASB)
As God’s messenger, the prophet Isaiah was called by the Lord to deliver a difficult message; a message of impending judgment on a nation God called to be his people.  With judgment, though, God sent His redeeming love, rich mercy and abounding hope.  The book of Isaiah is a treasure chest filled with promises of love and hope.  Many begin with, “Do not fear.”  From Isaiah 41:10, we glean two commands and three promises.
God’s first command is that we are not to fear (be afraid).  The second tells us not to “anxiously look about.”  The Hebrew word for anxious is shaah, which means to gaze.  What or who do we cast our gaze on causing fear to rise within us?  What or who do we run to when fear rages like a mighty army seeking to overwhelm us?  When fear takes root, we give Satan a stronghold in our lives.  Yet, we do not have to give into the paralyzing fear that this deceiver desires to smite us with.  Why?  Because the Lord, the Captain of our salvation, promises “I am with you….I am your God.”
With God’s proclamation of who he is, He gives three promises that we can set our gaze on when overwhelmed with fear.  First, God promises to strengthen (deliver, embolden, encourage) us.  “Surely” implies, how much more he will help (protect, support) us.  The last promise, truly (surely) how much more he will uphold (grasp, support) us with his righteous right hand in the midst of fearful circumstances.  Let us turn from the fear that robs us of our hope and peace, and GAZE at the One who is faithful to His promises.
Blessings,
Cathy Schlerf
Hydesville, CA