Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness (Isa. 41:10).
God commands us not to fear and reminds us that He is with us. We are not to be dismayed, for He is our God. This should really be enough, but there follows the beautiful threefold promise: "I will strengthen thee;...help thee;...uphold thee."
Our strength may be nothing, but God's strength is omnipotent. "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength" (Isa. 26:4). And the promise is "I will help thee." His strength within us is supplemented by His help without, for He is "a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). We may say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:6), for day by day our "help cometh from the Lord, which maketh heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:2). And then, beyond all that, we have God's hand to lean upon--yes, His right hand.
A minister tells of his little girl's coming to his study and finding the door closed. With her tiny hand she could not grasp the doorknob firmly enough to open it. But suddenly the door opened from the inside, and she ran in crying, "Oh, Daddy, I opened the door all by myself." Of course, it was her father's hand that had done it. So God helps us when we do our best, and in His strength we are strong.
Like a father, constant is He,
God in compassion regardeth our plea;
In need He cometh, precious His promise:
Father in heaven forever to be.
__F. E. Belden
MEDITATION PRAYER: "Blessed be the Lord my strength,...my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer: my shield, and he in whom I trust" (Ps. 144:1, 2).
God commands us not to fear and reminds us that He is with us. We are not to be dismayed, for He is our God. This should really be enough, but there follows the beautiful threefold promise: "I will strengthen thee;...help thee;...uphold thee."
Our strength may be nothing, but God's strength is omnipotent. "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength" (Isa. 26:4). And the promise is "I will help thee." His strength within us is supplemented by His help without, for He is "a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). We may say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:6), for day by day our "help cometh from the Lord, which maketh heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:2). And then, beyond all that, we have God's hand to lean upon--yes, His right hand.
A minister tells of his little girl's coming to his study and finding the door closed. With her tiny hand she could not grasp the doorknob firmly enough to open it. But suddenly the door opened from the inside, and she ran in crying, "Oh, Daddy, I opened the door all by myself." Of course, it was her father's hand that had done it. So God helps us when we do our best, and in His strength we are strong.
Like a father, constant is He,
God in compassion regardeth our plea;
In need He cometh, precious His promise:
Father in heaven forever to be.
__F. E. Belden
MEDITATION PRAYER: "Blessed be the Lord my strength,...my goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer: my shield, and he in whom I trust" (Ps. 144:1, 2).
RSS Feed
