Fear is a powerful emotion that must not rule your life. All of us can have fears that we need to conquer. Maybe you are afraid about: your future, your children, your health, your finances, your marriage or not finding the right person to marry. People can fear social interactions/how you relate to others; heights; death; spiders; public speaking; and enclosed spaces.
The Bible has much to say about overcoming fear by knowing and trusting God. In Isaiah chapters 40-66, for the Jewish people it seemed like their whole world had collapsed around them after their nation was invaded, Jerusalem was destroyed and they were taken as prisoners to a foreign land. But from chapter 40 onwards, God comforts His people through the prophet Isaiah by promising them a better life and future than they had imagined was possible and He told them there was no need to fear (Isaiah 41:9-10).
There are powerful and encouraging words in Isaiah 43:1-7 which start with a reminder that God is not only the creator of the heavens and the earth but He is the one who has created the Israelite people and formed them. He is intimately and personally connected to them. In these verses we see how they then, and we also today, have no need to fear. We can:
1. Live a fear free life because we are redeemed by God (Isaiah 43:1-4 NIV & MSG; John 8:34-36 MSG)
2. Live a fear free life because we are personally called by God (Isaiah 43:1)
3. Live a fear free life because we belong to God (Isaiah 43:1b)
4. Live a fear free life because are precious to God (Isaiah 43:4; Zechariah 2:8)
5. Live a fear free life because we are loved by God (Isaiah 43:4; Jeremiah 31:3)
6. Live a fear free life because God is with us even in difficult times (Isaiah 53:5; Hebrews 4:15-16)
7. Live a fear free life because God has a good plan for our children as well as us (Acts 2:39; Isaiah 43:5-7)
Apply
1. Live a fear free life because we are redeemed by God. Redeemed is a biblical word which means to buy back. As Christians we have been bought out of the slave market of sin because Jesus paid the price of our sins with His blood (Isaiah 43:1-4 NIV & MSG). Before we were Christians we used to live a life of pain being slaves to sin and perhaps you think what your living now is a consequence of your own sin, your own decisions but when you’re in Christ, when you believe in Him and follow Him, the price is paid and you are no longer a slave to sin. You have been forgiven and freed from the kingdom of darkness (John 8:34-36 MSG).
2. Live a fear free life because we are personally called by God (Isaiah 43:1). Why were these people of Israel afraid? Because they feared they had been abandoned by God due to their own rebellion and sin, leading to a sense of hopelessness. They needed to be reminded that God had a personal claim on them and that’s why He starts reminding them I created you, I formed you. In those moments we can feel that fear is taking control over our life, but I would like to take this moment to remind you that today, you can live a fear free life He has called you by name just like Jesus called His disciples. Imagine that! God Himself knows your name. You are on His radar.
3. Live a fear free life because we belong to God (Isaiah 43:1b). When someone has paid for something, it means it is theirs. That's who we are to the Lord, because He was the one who paid the price for our ransom. When we were slaves to sin we were not His, but at this point it is a clear declaration of belonging. Everyone wants to belong and the Lord wants you to know that you belong to Him, you do not need to live a life of orphan. We are sons and daughters of God.
4. Live a fear free life because are precious to God (Isaiah 43:4). You matter to God. God said of the Israelites who felt so unwanted that they were the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8). Referring to the pupil of the eye, this is the most delicate and guarded part of the body, which means you feel anything that touches your eye. God is sensitive to everything that touches us. God says you are precious to Him.
5. Live a fear free life because we are loved by God (Isaiah 43:4). It is one thing to say ‘I love you’, it is another is to show love. These words here are so meaningful. God doesn't change, doesn't lie, whose words are irrevocable is saying “I love you” (Jeremiah 31:3). His love for you is real and everlasting. More than any other thing in life, in God's love for you is unchanging.
6. Live a fear free life because God is with us even in difficult times (Isaiah 53:5). The Israelites were captured, far from home, hopeless, it was one of the most difficult situations someone could be. It all seemed too overwhelming. But the Lord wanted them to know He would always help them. The verse doesn’t says “if” you pass through the waters or the rivers, or the fire, it says “when.” But what could these waters, rivers and fire represent for us today? Are you going through a situation that makes you think it is bigger than you? That you can’t handle or is overwhelming? There are situations in life where you feel pushed by a strong river without even strength to hold onto anything to get out. Well the promise here is that God says ‘don’t fear. You will not drown. You will not be burnt. You will come through. And that is true for you and for our families, churches and nations. There is a big difference between believers and non-believers. We both go through tests and difficulties but when we are with Christ we are never alone in life, the heaviness of the tests is not on us, we can be helped but someone who not only knows the circumstances but who has gone through the same in victory (Hebrews 4:15-16).
7. Live a fear free life because God has a good plan for our children as well as us. When the world seems dark it's easy to worry about your children, but like the parents of Moses we need to have faith that God will protect and use our children to lead their generation and not be overcome by the pressures around them. The Holy Spirit is promised to be poured out on the young as well as the old; your sons and your daughters (Acts 2:39). Here there is a promise that the children of Israel will be regathered from far and wide (Isaiah 43:5-7). This literally happened when the Jews were able to return home and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. And it happened in May 1948 and since then, when the Jews after 1900 years of being scattered around the world, returned to the ancient homeland. God is also interested in your children, and He will gather them to himself and fulfil the plans He has for them. So don’t fear about your children. Trust God.
