“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 NASB1995
God’s wisdom, as given to the prophet Isaiah, was meant in this verse to encourage the people of Israel. In light of the attacks on the modern nation of Israel this week by Iran, it was fascinating that God chose this verse for me to explore.
The Lord starts with a promise and a command. He advises the people not to fear anything because He is with Israel. Do they need anything more with His promise? Much later in history, Paul said this in Romans 8:31 — ”What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?“
God is also commanding His people to not worry. Earlier in His Words to Isaiah, He has told the prophet that He alone rules over the nations: “He delivers up nations before him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, As the wind-driven chaff with his bow.” (Isaiah 41:2)
And He has also told His people that He loves them! In Isaiah 41:8 He assures them of their royal lineage: “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend.” God is commanding His people to stop worrying — “Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.”
Now God really lays into those who are still worshipping idols by pointing out that “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”. God holds us up in difficult times; we don’t hold up a false god! If we are fearful and filled with unbelief, we’re telling God that He is not filled with glory, He is not a mighty God, and that we don’t really believe that He loves us.
Here’s what Charles H. Spurgeon had to say about not believing God:
“Every truthful man feels that he has a right to be believed. He speaks upon the honour of an honest man, and if you say, ‘I cannot believe you,’ and even begin to lament that you have no faith in him, the reflection is not upon yourself, but on the person whom you cannot believe. And shall it ever come to this, that God’s own children shall say that they cannot believe their God? Oh, sin of sins! It takes away the very Godhead from God, for if God be not true, he is not a God; and if he be not fit to be believed, neither is he fit to be adored, for a God whom you cannot trust you cannot worship.”1
The modern-day people of Israel had nothing to worry about with the attack by Iran; the slow UAVs, antiquated cruise missiles, and intermediate range missiles that targeted Israel were no match for the defenses of the country and its allies. But I wonder if God is truly getting the worship and love He deserves from the Israeli people. When we visited the country, we found that many Israelis young and old are essentially secular Jews: the Jewish equivalent of the American Christians who only attend church on Christmas and Easter.
There are no prophets today to remind God’s people, both Gentile and Jew, that His love vanquishes all fear. The Word of God is ours to read, understand, and live — and it still contains the words of wisdom and love He gave to the generations through the prophets.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, many times in my life I have had fear and anxiety displace faith in my heart, yet I know that You tell me through Your Word to not have fear. I pray that Your message is increasingly reinforced in my heart and mind as I study Your Word daily. Thank You for Your promise to always be with me and uphold me in Your righteous right hand. I pray this in the holy name of Your Son and my Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)