​We all get scared.  Maybe it’s a terrible weather event.  Or, it could be you have lost your job and don’t know what to do.  Perhaps, you just found out you have cancer.  Then there is the pandemic. The many violent acts of terrorism around the world and here in America are very scary, too.
 
When Isaiah prophesied, it was a scary time for Israel.  Many had forsaken God’s law.  There was much injustice in the land.  They suffered famine, pestilence, and war.  Their future was dark.  It is then that Isaiah gave these very encouraging words from the Lord: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
 
Here’s why we don’t have to be scared!
 
God is with us.  We are not alone.
 
God is our God.  He is on our side.  He will fight for us.  He will protect us.  He loves us.  He cares for us.
 
God will strengthen us.  We are scared because the fears we face look very powerful, but God is stronger.  He is greater.  He will strengthen us in our weakness so that we are able to overcome our fears.
 
God will help us.  Unable to deal with our fears alone, He stands by us to share the burden and help carry the load that would destroy our confidence.  So, with God’s help we are able to face our fears with courage.
 
God will uphold us.  Even when we are ready to give up and lay down in defeat, He is there for us to support us.  When we are falling, He is powerful to stand us back up again.
 
Yes, our fears are real, but so is God.  So, don’t be scared.
 
Today, I will… thank God for being there for me and look to Him for the courage to overcome all my fears.

​That question may sound quite negative to you. It may sound more like a burden than a blessing. But God made it clear to Israel that His requirements were essential to their relationship with Him. God requires no less of His people today. To experience redemption from the life of sin and death, to know God, and to have an abundant, eternal life with Him, we, too, must meet His requirements.

​The coronavirus pandemic has brought many unsettling changes to our nation and the world. This has caused many to fall into panic, despair, fear, worry, stress and depression. They are unable to find any peace. But there are many places in the Bible where it can be found. One of those places is John 14-16. Here Jesus speaks to His apostles to prepare them for His death and departure from this world and to give them peace. We too may find peace in these words of Jesus.

​It has been a long few weeks. People are in a panic -- for toilet paper! We are worried about our jobs. Some of you have already been laid off and the bills start piling up real fast. We can’t hardly get out of our houses. We are all feeling it. For many it seems like the end of the world, and you know that wouldn’t be bad for those of us who know the Lord!

Listen to Him: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.

​With a God like that...