Today, God wants you to know that He’s got you. Whatever you are going through, God’s got you. Whatever you are facing, God has your back. Whatever you are walking through, you don’t have to worry because He is going to see you through it.
As people, we like when things are going well. We like when things are going according to plan. As long as things are going the way we planned for it to go, we are all good!
But what happens when things don’t go our way? I’m sure every person here in this room and every person listening to this podcast knows that things do not always go according to plan.
In fact, sometimes things fall apart. Sometimes things begin to unravel. We are left wondering what happened? How did we get here? How did this happen?
Life is full of ups and downs. There are different seasons for every stage of life. God wants us to know that He is above it all and that we are right there in the palm of His hand.
When things don’t seem to go our way, when things feel like they are unraveling, we have a choice to worry about our situation, or trust God in the midst of our situation.
Worry = To dwell on a moment of difficulty and trouble; a state of anxiety & uncertainty
There are many things that can cause us to worry:
If we are all honest, we all have had moments where we have had to keep worry at bay.
Worry causes us to focus on our situation rather than focusing on the God of our situation. You cannot worry and trust at the same time. God is wanting us to trust in Him.
That brings us to our scripture for today. Before reading this scripture, I believe it is important for us to know a little background on the book of Isaiah. I believe it is important in order to give us some perspective on the scripture for today.
Background of the Book of Isaiah
The book of Isaiah is a tale of two messages: it is a message of judgement and a message of hope. Israel had turned its back on God and trusted in other idols. Therefore, God judged them by giving them over to nations around them. They would be conquered multiple times, according to the prophet. However, their ruin would give root to a new kingdom and a new king who would build a New Jerusalem. That new king was Jesus Christ.
Chapters 1-39 are a message of judgement. However, chapters 40-66 are a message of hope. Chapter 40 begins with the announcement of this new king, the Lord who has come to save Israel from their sin. It was an announcement of a new day. However, it changes tone as it addresses doubts that Israel had toward God. Their situation had made them bitter toward God and even believed that He was not who they thought He was. God reminds them of who He is. Despite their doubts, God looks forward to a faithful Israel, that is His servant. He promises that He would not wipe them off the face of the earth, but that Israel would be His choice in whom He would use to save the world.
Through His suffering, He would redeem unfaithful Israel back to God and He would be a light to all that nations so that they could also be blessed in Him.
That brings us to our verse for today:
Isaiah 41:10
“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.”
This is a promise from God to the nation of Israel, that they would be His servant. They would be the nation that God would produce the savior of the world through. It is a promise that He had not given up on Israel.
This is not only a promise for Israel, but also for you and I. As believers who are “in Christ,” we too are included in this promise. How can a promise that was made to Israel almost 3000 years ago also be for us?
Galatians 3:29
“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Abraham is the father of the nation of Israel. Therefore, as Abraham’s offspring, we too by faith are considered a part of the promise made to Israel.
2 Corinthians 1:20
“20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
All of God’s promises are in Christ. As believers, you and I are in Christ. Therefore, we too are included in His promises. Jesus secured the promises of God for His people.
Here is God’s promise for you and I:
Takeaways
Because you are in Christ, every promise has been secured for you
Every promise and every blessing is yours through Christ
Don’t worry, instead trust in God’s promises
God is for you
God is with you
He is your God
He will strengthen you
He will help you
He is holding you up in the palm of His hand- His plan will prevail
He has not given up on you and He never will.
