Isaiah 41:10

“Do not fear {anything}, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand {a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation}”.      

AMP
                    

This is one of the creme de la creme of Bible verses about becoming UNAFRAID.

It has it all:

• What should I NOT fear? ANYTHING.
• Why should I not fear?
  • GOD IS WITH ME.
  • GOD (YAHWEH) IS MY GOD.

• How will God help me be UNAFRAID??
  • Will STRENGTHEN me
  • Will HELP me
  • Will TAKE HOLD OF ME

• What is so special about His hand that holds onto me?
  • It is RIGHTEOUS
  • It is a hand of JUSTICE
  • It is a hand of POWER
  • It is a hand of VICTORY
  • It is a hand of SALVATION

There is a lot going here to dissect, but first it is important to look into the context of this Scripture before beginning to apply it to our lives.

This book of the Bible is written by the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah was chosen by God to give counsel against foreign alliances to the kings of Judah (Northern Kingdom of Israel). He is well known for his prophecies of the coming Messiah that were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He also, although his messages from God were of judgment, offered a great hope to the people about God’s faithfulness and mercy even though they continued to disobey His given Law. Isaiah reminded Israel of the covenant made by God that God would never refute.

By the time we get to our passage in chapter 41, Isaiah is encouraging the people after declaring the judgment that is to come upon them~

Isaiah 39:6-8

Listen carefully, the days are coming when everything that is in your house and everything that your predecessors have stored up until this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left.

And some of your own sons (about King Hezekiah) who will come from you, whom you will father, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.

Then said Hezekiah to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, ” There will be peace and faithfulness in my days.”

The start of chapter 41, as we move closer to our selected verse, tells of the glory of God~

Isaiah 41:4

Who has performed and done this-

Calling forth (and guiding the destinies of) the generations from the beginning??

I, the Lord – THE FIRST, AND WITH THE LAST {EXISTING BEFORE HISTORY BEGAN, THE EVER-PRESENT, UNCHANGING GOD} – I am HE.”

AMP

So….when He says do not fear anything for I am with you, He means the One who existed before history began is with you.

When He says do not be afraid, for I am your God, He means the EVER-PRESENT UNCHANGING God is your God.

He is constant.

His faithfulness is never-ending.

He keeps His promises no matter what we do in our ups and downs of life- God still works out HIS plan for HIS good and glory.

The God of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation is who strengthens and holds onto me.

Because of His faithfulness we can be assured of His help.

How does this help me to become UNAFRAID?

What do I do when I can’t see His right hand holding me when I am scared? In fact, the fear normally makes me feel alone…whether I am physically or not.

Confession time:

I’m 45 years old and I still have bad dreams.

When I was a kid, I used to seek comfort by waking my mom up to inform her that I had a bad dream and would crawl into bed with her and my dad.

As I got older, that got weird so I would choose to make a nest on the floor beside my mom’s side and would seek the comfort I needed from the space on the floor.

As I got even older, it now felt foolish to go wake up my mom to tell her I was scared so I found I could sneak into my brother’s room and curl up unnoticed at the foot of his bed.

Desperate times man….

As an adult, I smash myself into my husband’s back for confirmation that I am not alone when those dreams haunt me.

Sometimes that stuff worked.

Other times, I needed more.

As a kid, we (my parents and I) decided that it was best if I would read before going to bed instead of watching TV. I learned (the hard way of course) what I read was incredibly important!!

FYI- books about vampires are NOT relaxing!

When the dreams still came, no matter my bedtime routine, there were times when I realized at a very young age that I needed something more.

I took to singing Jesus Loves Me in my head or even with a soft whisper. No matter my age…no matter how far I had wandered from the Lord…I would sing it.

I still do.

“Help me” prayers are great…but, in that kind of moment, they seemed to worsen my anxiety and fear.

Singing the truth of the lyric that “yes, Jesus loves me ~ for the Bible tells me so” has always been effective…soothing…comforting.

Always.

When I am scared or uncertain or discouraged and despairing…I need the simple truth and reminder that I am loved…I am not alone…that the God of power and justice and victory and salvation is helping me.

I can be strengthened…even in the presence of fear.

I can have that assurance because Jesus loves me…this I know…for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong- they are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me…for the Bible tells me so.

Read His Word. Soak it in. As the Psalm says:

This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your Word has revived me and given me life.

Psalm 119:50 AMP

Be UNAFRAID because Jesus loves you.