“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” —Isaiah 41:10.
Fear saps our willpower and leaves us feeling depleted and hopeless. Feeling depressed, discouraged, and dismayed saps our emotional resources and takes the passion out of our spiritual service. Yet very few of us have ever experienced a defeat so complete and bitter as the one God’s people faced when Isaiah shared this message of hope. The preservation of Israel through their horrors of defeat, humiliation, and loss from their times in exile until the time of Jesus is a many-centuries-long reminder of God’s miraculous and faithful fulfillment of his promises and love. Later, when all appeared lost, the ongoing survival and triumph of Jesus’ disciples through centuries of persecution and opposition powerfully remind us that underneath us are the everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27) of a mighty and loving God who will ultimately bring us to share in his eternal victory by the power of his “righteous right hand.”