Do not be afraid

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 40:10 CSB

The current date is 6/23/2021. I say that because I wanted us to look back over the past, let’s say 16 months, can we firmly say these words above? Our culture has been feeding on fear these last 16 months, and the world is searching for hope and truth. Many Christians were susceptible to this fear also. The pandemic shook economic affluence while also putting our health on the line. Then to add to that our family’s well-being into the mix, what was the solution? Fear.

Fear the economic turmoil. Fear the virus. Fear the masks. Fear those not wearing the masks. Fear the lack of vaccines. Fear the vaccine. Fear those who do not get the vaccine. Fear the police. Fear the government. Fear the different races. Fear having less income than we once had. Fear the statistics. Fear not being able to socialize as we once did. Fear, fear, fear… Fear is what we ate for breakfast and then sat it on our end table at night to have the next morning. Fear created unforeseen division, even in the church.

“This God is saying ‘I’m there with you, I am God, do not be afraid.'”

But then we have an all-powerful, Sovereign God who says do not fear. The God of the Universe says in Isaiah 40:10 CSB, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” This God determines everything, even when we die (Matthew 10:28-31). This God is saying “I’m there with you, I am God, do not be afraid.”

There’s a huge comfort in believing in an all-powerful and all-wise God. I think that’s why I love the doctrine of God’s sovereignty: it takes the game of chance out of the equation. When I die, it’s because God determined the time has come based on His wisdom. The past year has taught us to fear so much that it’s clouding our vision of this God who genuinely has this all worked out. Paul says in Philippians 1:21 CSB, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” and by that he is saying if I live on this earth I still get to partake in this ministry, if I die, I go to Christ. How can we lose?!

The enemy’s plan is not the one that is panning out, it’s God’s…

We have a God that is infinitely powerful, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, infinitely perfect. He “declares the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:9-10), why are we afraid? The Enemy has gained a major footing in the past year with his tactics. But his plan is not the one that is panning out, it’s God’s. I can’t wait to see the huge tapestry that God is painting in His Sovereignty with what we’ve seen in the past year. The Enemy cannot win. Do not fear.

-Austin