If you’d like to join me for my weekly Scripture reflection series, I’ll be using the RSVCE of the Bible. Here is the entire Isaiah XLIII passage.
“‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”
Fear has played an incredible role in my life, a much larger one than I’d like to admit. In fact, I’m ashamed of how much I let fear control my life. I changed certain aspects of my lifestyle, conformed to various standards, and participated in trends that I didn’t even like in fear of judgement from others; though I still struggle with this, I now realize that the judgement I should truly care about is Christ’s. My life and worldview should be aligned with what He expects of me, and God expects all of His followers to obey His word unquestioningly in our thoughts, words, and actions.
To be blunt, I have failed to do this countless times in the last twenty years. For the first eighteen of those years, God played little to no role in my life, and I thus felt no compulsion to encourage others to follow His teachings. However, for the past two years, as I became closer to God, I have still failed to spread the word because I feared that others would judge me for my faith. I feared that I would be cast aside, marginalized, and discriminated against for preaching the gospel. Regardless of whether my fear was warranted, I was wrong to let it prevent me from doing what God has called me to do. As I mentioned in a previous Scripture reflection, all of the trouble that I can endure on this earth cannot possibly match what Christ has endured for me. In realization of this eternal truth, I now seek to display my gratitude by unashamedly preaching my Christian faith for the remainder of my life, and I pray that Christ will guide me in that quest and help me to resist the worldly urges which have prevented me from spreading His word in the past.
“‘You are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.’”
No matter how troubling or tumultuous these times we live in seem to be, it is important to remember that God is with us through it all. Do not let fear dictate your life. Even in your darkest moments and even when the mental and physical pressures of the world are at their peak, you must remember that God loves you. Not only is He as present as ever with you in these moments, but He is also the one who can give you the strength to climb out. Please open your heart and mind to Him, and remember His everlasting words:
“‘Fear not, for I am with you.’”
This post has so much positive things to learn. Thank you so much for sharing this. I really like this.
I’m so glad you enjoyed reading this!
Beautiful words, thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading!
One of my favorite verses, and one that gives me a lot of hope and courage in hard times 💛
https://sundaydahlias.com
So happy to hear that!
I’m not a religious person but this phrase has so much comfort. I think it’s something I can apply to all my friends and family too. Beautiful, thank you for sharing. Lisa
Yes! I’m so glad you found a way to apply this to your life as well, Lisa.
This is a beautiful post, thanks so much for sharing. That quote gives me a lot of comfort x
Thanks for reading, Jenny!
This is probably my favourite one I’ve read so far, a very comforting read 😊
Thanks so much for your feedback!
I’m not exactly religious but there’s a level of comfort in this still. I think we’re all guilty of letting fear rule us sometimes, definitely something I’ve tried to be more mindful of over the last few years x
Sophie
I’m glad to hear that this provided some comfort. Thank you for reading, Sophie!
Powerful message thank you! I am currently experiencing a lot of fear myself with the unknown of returning to teaching. But nothing is done without his permissive will and I need to lean on His word for comfort during this time. Thank you!
I’ll be praying for you and hope you are safe in your return to teaching!
Thank you for sharing! This is exactly what I needed to hear this morning. I have been dealing with a lot of fear and uncertainty with my health, and I need to abandon that fear and trust in God’s plan and provision.
I’m so glad to hear that reading this helped you this morning! I wish you the absolute best as you trust in God’s plan 🙂
Each and every word from the Bible heals a broken soul ……
Thank you for sharing this post 😇
It’s really useful
JENISH | https://knowafactfromj.blogspot.com
Absolutely. Thank you for reading.