Do Not Fear

(Message by Pastor Philip Joseph. As you read, drive your fears away!)

There are 66 books in the Bible. Every word is God-inspired and written by many authors over many centuries. And every word is useful in our day-to-day living. That is why it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. That is why we must systematically expose ourselves to the full measure of God’s written word that is given to us.

I know some of us have our favourite verses, passages, chapters and books of the Bible. We read them over and over so many times even to the extent of neglecting other portions of the Bible. When I was a young boy I remember overleaping the books of the Prophets, which, was difficult for me to understand then- the Major Prophets and more readily the Minor Prophets! But now, as an adult I take time to read and try to understand the message of the prophets.

I am personally blessed by what the LORD spoke through the prophet Isaiah, in chapters starting from 40 and right till the end, to bring comfort to His people. If you are feeling down and discouraged at this moment, I encourage you today to open up the book of Isaiah and read through these chapters from 40 to 66. And when you complete these 27 chapters, I tell you, you will come up to be in a completely different and higher level of perception.

Is fear gripping you? Let these words from the book of Isaiah set you free from any kind of fear- whether of man, devil or the future.

1. Isaiah 43:1

When God says to you “Do not fear”, He also gives you the reason why you should not fear. In this verse God says, “Fear Not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.” He has redeemed me; He has called us, not as a group but, individually- by name! What a blessed assurance! “I am His and He is mine”. O what a foretaste of glory divine; I am an heir of salvation- is there any reason for fear? The promises continue: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Like the people of Israel, we too sometimes feel that the Lord does not notice us; or that we are not getting our due justice; or that others who do not know the Lord are better off; and we are seemingly left on our own- forgotten and forsaken by God! (Isaiah 49:14). The LORD’s answer remains the same even today: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;”

Do you feel forgotten by God? Know that He is a personal God Who sometimes (I do not know why) chooses to hide Himself. We may not feel His presence sometimes; we may not see Him sometimes; but, He is there! Sometimes He comes in the very clouds that darken your skies… sometimes His face cannot be found; but some things can only be KNOWN, and sometimes our faith can only grow… He sees us... in His hands!

2. Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

He is with us- God Immanuel. Sometimes in our distress, we look to the left, look to the right; but we fail to look up! But now, let it be that our eyes are lifted up to the hills, from whence comes our help; our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. Look up… and LIVE. Have the waters of affliction come up to our knees? Or maybe even up to our neck… but the promise is sure and we confess in faith, that the waters will not overflow us! I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The trial by fire is not going to burn us! God is allowing us to pass through the waters and the fire that we may come out with praise. God’s ways are indeed mysterious and His thoughts much, much higher than our thoughts.

Job was a man who went through difficult times. He tried to understand the reason for his suffering. The elusive answer for his question ‘why?’ when he, really, did nothing wrong! All he wanted was a rational, logical reasoning for all his sufferings. His friends could offer no help. Finally God spoke to him- and suddenly he understood his own foolishness, as he was transported to see from God’s perspective. He said, “Once I have spoken… now I lay my hand over my mouth… I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me… I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job: 42: 3-6). Is there something for us to learn here? Let it be today that we see from God’s perspective.

3. Isaiah 41:14

“Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Sometimes, we may feel inadequate and whatever we do may seem insignificant- we may feel like a worm; but, God says to us that He will help us. Our adequacy comes only from Him; yes, it has always been that way! Not only has He redeemed us once, but He will help us continually. He who made the heavens and the earth, will HELP us. Do you have a revelation of who is speaking to you? It is He who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure; weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance (Isaiah 40:12). The oceans may be deep and vast, where ships sail and sink… but it is within the hollow of His hand; the expanding universe may baffle our scientists who are still discovering new planets. But God has measured the universe in the span of his hand. Our God is so BIG… and He will help us.

Our deepest sorrows and greatest troubles are so small in His hand. Therefore we need not fear, but rise up and face any challenges that come our way- every day of our lives.

4. Isaiah 54:4

“Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;”

Is future your worry and fear? Do not fear, for you will not be put to shame. You have been upheld by Him from birth; He has carried us from the womb; and even to our old age and grey hairs, He will carry us. (Isaiah 46: 3, 4). This chapter of Isaiah talks about our God, in comparison with gods of the Gentiles- idols. The idols are useless and offer no hope; and the people have to carry the idols. In comparison, our God says to us, “I will carry you”; What a great God we have… therefore we need not fear. From the womb to the tomb He will carry us. He holds our future, and He will lead us by His righteous right hand. Knowing our past, how we were born, intricately woven in our mother’s womb, to the days of our youth… we can look with assurance at God who leads us. Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults (Isaiah 51:7). Today, we can choose to listen to our God, who speaks to us “Do not fear”

Let me close with the promise of God: Those who hope in the Lord, those who depend on His word, those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; they will surely mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31). Amen.