Lord’s Day, Vol. 5 No. 48

God Will Take Care of You

Isaiah 41:10 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.

The prophet Isaiah gave these words to the poor and afflicted of God’s people so that they may be encouraged and strengthened in the heart to trust Him to take care of them.

(1) Appeal to Keep Faith

 The negative particle “not” is twice expressed as a statement of strong emotional appeal – fear not and be not dismayed. Do not allow fear to overcome your hearts because of overwhelmingly difficult circumstances or difficult people in your life. Keep faith. Let your hope in God be strengthened. Do not look at your situation and give up hope. God is with His people. He will not leave nor forsake them. We can count upon His faithfulness and mercies to provide a way out of every crisis or dire situation. When the Israelites were piled with more burdens by their Egyptian taskmasters (Exodus 5:10), they cried out to God for relief. The LORD speaks with such assurance to His people to hang on there. Help is on the way.

 

When I fear my faith with fail,

Christ will hold be fast!

When the tempter would prevail,

He will hold me fast!

 

(2) Appeal to Look Up

The fears, discouragement and loss of hope in the hearts of God’s people is counteracted by the appeal to look up to the God in heaven. He is a present help to His people in trouble (Psalm 46:1). The sense of His presence with His people is appealed to still the hearts of His people. The invisible God is not invisible in your life during this time of need but is with you. He has promised to be with you to strengthen and help you.

 

I could never keep my hold,

He must hold me fast!

For my love is often cold,

He must hold me fast!

 

We are encouraged to call to our Father in heaven in fervent prayer for all the discomforts, distresses and discouragements that we are facing. He will certainly help.

 

(3) Appeal to Appreciate

The promise of God to His people is that He will be there with them so that they are not alone in their struggles. Let us see with the eyes of faith as verified in His word. See the presence of God with us.

For I am thy God – This is with reference to an All-powerful God with the strength, wisdom and ability to help them. Oftentimes, in the midst of a trial, the pressure can cause His people to lose sight of God’s presence. The conjunction “for” appeals to God’s people to make the logical inference, to be persuaded that He is able!

I am precious in His sight,

He will hold me fast!

Those He saves are His delight,

He will hold me fast!

 

(4) Appeal to Behold God’s Glory

The actions of God to help His people is delineated for our appreciation. We are to sit back and behold the glory of God fending and defending His people. There are three statements what He will do interspersed by the affirmative “yea”, declaring fulfilment.

I will strengthen thee – In your weakness, God will be there to strengthen you. It means “to give courage”, “to be strong”. It appeals for a determined, courageous heart to conquer, to overwhelm by God’s power.

I will help thee – God’s help is the best help. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. (Psalm 20:7) God delivered the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt by a great deliverance. In their suffering, God was there to comfort and by His mercy, alleviate.

I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness – Our God will grasp and support His people even by the hand. By the “right” hand, speaking of authority, ability and willingness. The righteousness of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.

 

He’ll not let my soul be lost,

Christ will hold me fast;

Bought by Him at such a cost.

He will hold me fast!

 

Amen.

 

Yours Lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee