Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41: 10
Suggested Scripture reading – Isaiah 41
The missionary’s pictures on the screen at church that night were vivid. The young pastor was captivated by them. The faces of the people in those pictures seemed to call out to him, “Come and help us!” He had a work that he was doing for the Lord already right here at home. The need that he saw that night, however, would not leave his mind. In the next few weeks the burden returned time and again. He could not get away from it. The Spirit of God confirmed his from the Scriptures. “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?” (Proverbs 24:11) God was calling this young pastor and his family to a foreign missions field. The thought frightened him. He would have to move his family halfway around the world. He would have to learn a new language and culture. How would he ever be able to start a new church in a foreign land?
In Isaiah chapter 41, God was speaking to His servant, Israel. “Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee,” (Isaiah 41:9) He was going to send this remnant of His people back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and the city. They were to re-establish the nation in the land of Palestine. To them that seemed like an impossible task . They could see no way for that to happen. God’s words to them were profound. “Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee.” (Isaiah 41:10) God would not send them somewhere that He was not willing to accompany them. At the end of the 70 year captivity, they did go back and God did use them to accomplish this great work. They did not need to fear the task to which He called them.
God called this young preacher to a new, difficult work. It was a daunting task. He was very intimidated by the whole idea. To him God said, “Fear thou not.” He said that He would go with this little family. When they were dismayed He would be their strong, delivering God. They would draw strength from Him. He would be their helper. He would under gird them with His righteous, right hand. The road was long and sometimes hard but they made it to this new and strange land. As a result, many who had never heard the name of Jesus learned for the first time of His love for them. Today, in a dark pagan village, there is a church where believers gather to worship Jesus. When God calls you into a new endeavor for Him you need not fear: For God will go with thee.
”Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6
[podcast]https://lifeabovefear.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/027-Fear-thou-not-for-I-am-with-thee.mp3[/podcast]
