I AM WITH YOU

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello everyone. This is Pastor Dean Thompson with the word of hope. Fear not, I am with you. Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God.

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I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah forty one verse ten. Some scholars have counted there are three hundred and sixty-five fear not commands in the Bible, one for every day of the year. Whether the count is precise or symbolic, the witness is unmistakable. God knows how often we are afraid. He addresses us again and again with the same gentle imperative. Isaiah forty one verse ten is among the most beloved of these. The grammar repays slow attention. The Hebrew tira fear carries the sense of being startled, paralyzed, undone by what looms over you. Tishda be dismayed means to look around in panic. These are not the fears of a casual moment. These are the fears that take over. Against them, God places four promises, four four verbs, each beginning with the emphatic I. I am with you. The most basic of all assurances Emmanuel before Jerusalem. The same promise spoken to Moses on the burning bush, to Joshua at the Jordan, to Mary at the annunciation. He does not say he will fix everything. He says he will be with you in everything. I am your God, not just any deity, your God. The covenant claim, you are not a stranger seeking a hearing. You are a child claimed by name. I will strengthen you. The verb amax means to make firm, to reinforce. He does not give pep talks, he gives muscle. I will help you. The Hebrew Azar evokes the help of one who runs to a friend in trouble. It is the same route that gave Israel the name Ezar. Help. Help is not abstract. He comes. I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness. The right hand was the hand of strength and skill, the warrior's hand. Righteousness here is Senek, that divine div that special divine word that combines justice, faithfulness, and saving action. He upholds you not with his left hand of leftover effort, but with the powerful hand of his covenant commitment to set things right. Watchman Nee in his prison years marked the margins of his Bible most heavily at this verse. John Bunyan in his cell found here sword and shield in seven words, seven words. End of quote. When fear is loaded, is when fear is loud today, listen for the louder voice. He is with you. He is your God. He will strengthen, help, uphold. The hand that holds you was nailed to the wood for you. It is not a hand that lets go. Trust it. O Lord, when fear arises, remind us whose we are. Please strengthen us. Please help us. Please uphold us with your righteous right hand. Amen.

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God bless you.