The Only Thing to Fear…

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.

Isaiah 41:10 

The 1932 Presidential election took place amidst the great depression, a time where everyone in the country was afraid of what was happening around them. Families took all their money out of the bank, afraid that it wouldn’t be there when they needed it. There are still people today who distrust banks and refuse to put their money into such institutions.

            Franklin D. Roosevelt successfully campaigned against Herbert Hoover in this election and in his first inaugural address he said some of the most iconic words of his life…words that many of us know today. He said the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He was telling the nation that fear had crippled them, fear had caused them to stay in their homes and panic. FDR needed the nation to move beyond their fear, so that they could live life.

            There are times in our lives when we fall into that same snare. There are times when we allow the things that are happening around us to dictate how we respond. At the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, God’s people we in exile. Their lives were not what they thought. Nothing had gone according to their plan. Everything was messed up and people had every right to be afraid. How can you not be afraid when you simply don’t know what tomorrow is going to look like?

            God uses Isaiah to bring some comfort to His people. He tells them not to be in fear, but He does not stop there. He tells them why they should not be in fear – because He (God) is with them. He is their God. He will give them strength and help them. All these same promises are true for us today. When we fall into a season of fear we need to remind ourselves that the God who spoke this world into existence is our God and He is with us. He will help us in our time of need. We do not need to fear because God is walking with us.

Pray:

·      That we would remember that God is with us

·      For help in our time of need

·      That we could be a help in others times of need

Further reading:

·      Isaiah 41-43

Worship:

·      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMmmbJlWhtk