“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
It is natural to crave a problem-free life. Therefore most people spend much effort and time striving to create a life that feels safe and predictable. In essence, humans are control-freaks. If we trace sin back to its origin, we will find a man and woman who wanted to be in control. Was God holding out on them? Was there something better than what He promised them? “If we eat from that tree we can be like God,” they reasoned. “We can be in control.” And with one bite, everything changed. The perfect creation was marred. And the hearts of men and women would forever be bent towards disobedience and self-reliance.
Sin brought with it a natural inclination to question and doubt God’s goodness and sufficiency. Isn’t this what the Serpent tempted Eve to do…doubt God’s goodness? True faith in God is always coupled with a firm conviction of His goodness. If our faith is based on what we can see – our circumstances – it will always wobble and fall. Circumstances often times do not make sense in the here and now. But we must believe that we serve a God Who is much bigger than circumstances. His wisdom spans beyond the here and now to a future that cannot be fathomed. His glory is indescribable and His plan is eternal.
In order to deeply know and enjoy such a God, we must be willing to give up control. We must choose to believe that He is always good and worthy of praise, despite what we might be going through. We must desperately cling to the truth that His presence is felt most closely in the darkest pits…and that even there He securely holds His children.
The phrase, ” be not dismayed,” in Isaiah 41:10 literally means, “to look around anxiously.” God is reminding us to fix our eyes on His face and to trust in His constant presence and goodness. He is with you. He has a firm grasp on you with His strong and righteous right hand. You are precious in His sight; and He has a plan – even in your suffering. Remember that you exist not for security in this life, but for eternal security in the problem-free life that is to come. You must only believe. – James Merritt
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
