Isaiah 41:10 Devotional

Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I find myself repeating this verse often, but sometimes I say it and think, “God it’s not that simple. I can’t just not fear. I can’t just not be anxious.” I love honesty with God, and I think He loves when we are honest and real with Him. My honest response to this scripture is that the first half of this verse often feels like an oversimplification to me. Surely, the God who knows my innermost self, my deepest thoughts, fears and anxieties doesn’t think “do not fear” is going to take away all of my fear! 

I don’t think God is naive when he gives us this command though. He knows that telling us not to fear isn’t an easy command that we can just *poof*, not be afraid. No, God gives us this command not to fear, and not to be anxious, but he doesn’t stop there. God isn’t oblivious to the challenges that humans face. He sent Jesus who was fully human down to Earth where he experienced every human emotion that we experience. The rest of the verse equips us and reassures us.

There is so, so much power in the second half of this passage. God says “I will strengthen you,” That’s huge! The God of the universe gives ME strength. I don’t need to give myself strength when I am afraid. When I think about that word strengthen, I think about strengthening my muscles. I exercise and lift weights to strengthen my muscles. What I once could not lift, I can now lift because my muscles have been strengthened through training. What I once feared, I do not need to fear anymore because my God strengthens my heart and mind. God is my strength, I can obey His command, with His strengthening, and not my own power.

“I will help you.” Who better to help us than God? As someone who often likes to tackle things on her own and prides herself in being independent, it can be hard to accept help. I think about when someone who knows me really well, and knows that I don’t like to accept help, tells me “I am going to take this off your plate”, or "I'm going to do this for you.” That’s not an offer, it’s a statement. They aren’t going to help me only if I ask; they are going to help me because they see I need it. It means so much. They know that I am not going to seek out help. The Lord says “I will help you.” He doesn’t throw out an offer to help, only if I ask Him first. God tells me definitively “I will help you.”

The verse concludes with “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” When I am fearful and anxious, I am upheld by a powerful God. Virtuous, upright and worthy could all be used in place of the word righteous. God is holding me with his worthy right hand. Only God is worthy to command me not to fear, then lift me up when I am fearful. 

“Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 is a loving command from a loving God. God isn’t minimizing our fears and anxieties, rather reassuring us that He is carrying us through them. Friends, as we encounter fears and anxieties, let’s let God strengthen, help and uphold us the way only He can.

Paige Klopfenstein- Connections & Outreach Pastor