ISAIAH 41:10 – Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
THEME OF THE DAY: THE GOD OF I WILLS. Here is a word of encouragement and direction. When life gets difficult, and it will; when trials are intense, and they can be, and when weariness settles upon us in the daily spiritual fight against the devil, world and our remaining sin, put away all the “noise” of the world, get your Bible and spend unhurried and prayerful time in Isaiah chapters 40 and 41. These two chapters are deep mines of precious truths soothing the hurting heart and calming the troubled soul. Dig deep in these mines. Such labor will lead to the discovery of rich spiritual treasure and be quite prosperous spiritually.
As one moves from the great truths of Isaiah 40 into the following chapter, we won’t get long into Isaiah 41 before we find ourselves on the “spiritual mountaintop” of today’s scripture. At this peak, we find courage when we are afraid – Fear not I am with you and God’s companionship when distressed – be not dismayed, for I am your God. What follows are three promises of God, all beginning with the language of promise – I will.
The first is God’s promise of strength – I will strengthen you. Here is the promise we need to endure the difficulties in life when we know we are weak and have no strength. God promises personal strength for His weary child.
Then, we have the promise of God’s assistance – I will help you. Remember this truth when we feel all alone and just don’t think we can continue another day in the good fight of faith and race called the Christian life. Both are exhausting and God promises to be our sure help in time of need.
Finally, the promise of God upholding us when faltering – I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. One gets the picture of a parent lending a helping hand to a struggling child. We see the nearness of God and oh, what an encouragement this in when gripped with fear, failure, and uncertainty. We have a God who promises never to leave nor forsake us.
Yes, we have a God of “I wills” and when He tells His children “I will”, He means what He says. Don’t allow the devil or our doubts tempt us to change His “I will” to “He might” or “He could.” If we do, gone is joy, gone is assurance, and gone is our confidence to live boldly for the Lord. Remember, when God says, “I will” that means it will be done without question. This certainty deepens our trust in the Person and Promises of our God promoting praise for such a wonderful and trustworthy God!
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for being my God who is not a God of maybe but of many ‘I wills’.”
QUOTE: “God says, “I will strengthen, help and uphold you” and what God wills always comes to pass.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim