Isaiah 43:5 - Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.
Fear is a powerful thing. It seems that there is no shortage of things in this world that can bring us to a place of fear. Maybe it’s receiving bad news regarding your health, or maybe you find yourself in a situation that could bring you trouble or pain. Fear can often come from uncertainty as well. Each day is full of opportunities to be afraid, and yet as Christians we are told time and time again to “fear not”. How can such a simple command be so difficult to follow?
One reason may be because of our false belief that we can control what happens to us. We are certainly able to control some things to some degree, but it is when we are faced with something that is beyond our control, that we begin to be afraid. We start asking “what if” questions and those often lead us to believe the worst case scenario is inevitable. We might ask questions in our minds like, “What if this sore throat is cancer? What if I lose my job? What if I can’t afford to pay for my basic needs this month?” In each question, the assumption is that bad will happen, and only bad.
The problem with fearing so many things in this world is that our fears make us forget about God. In this verse we see God promise that he will take care of his people, gathering them to himself, whether they be as far as the east or the west. In other words, there is no distance that God cannot overcome to take care of his children. The deeper promise within this verse is that he is able to care for us because he is with us.
Do you think about this very often? Right now, if you are in Christ, the living God is with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is standing with you day after day, minute after minute. If this is actually true, then why are we so afraid? Maybe it’s because God doesn’t seem as immediate as the thing we are afraid of. Maybe we have fallen into a place of unbelief where we don’t know if God will really do good to us in our time of need.
Spend some time today thinking on the Lord’s goodness. See in his word how he has constantly been faithful to his children. Hold fast to the promise that Jesus gave you in that you have the Holy Spirit to help you and that same Spirit dwells within you to produce good in and through you. Think about shifting your “what if” questions from negative outcomes to God oriented outcomes. What if losing my job is going to be God’s way of leading me to something better? What if this cancer diagnosis can bring me closer to the Lord and help me to love others better?
Remembering that God is with you and believing that he is, is balm to our weary souls when we would otherwise be afraid. Take heart, Christian. Your savior has overcome the world and he loves you with the greatest love you’ll ever know. You can have strength to overcome your fear through Christ, and you can have hope for the good that God will do regardless of the storms that come into your life. He has brought his disciples through storms before, and he will do it with you as well.
