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.’
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10 NLT
‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ Isaiah 41:10 AMP
Note before sharing the devotional: I decided for today's verse, I wanted to share multiple translations of this verse. I used to do this a lot more when I was much earlier in my walk with God / attempts to walk with God when I was still completely in darkness. At the time, my rationale was two-fold: 1.) I wanted to understand more fully what various passages of Scripture said, particularly those that were confusing to me; 2.) I didn't always trust one translation vs. another. To be fair, since the Old Testament's original language was in Hebrew, and the New Testament was first written in Greek, the current English translations sometimes don't fully capture the God-breathed words when they were first being written down. Also, as I was first being exposed to other denominations within Christianity and realizing how small the Episcopal Church's footprint was within the full scope of the Christian faith, I realized that other translations were much more popular and widely considered vs. the translations my churches used when I was growing up. I also had a greater curiosity to discover what was "out there," considered that prior to college I tended to stay close to home, in terms of my mentality.
I've heard this verse a fair number of times since a friend of mine first shared it with me about a decade ago, as an encouragement for me during times when I wrestled with intense fear. Like many things, it has taken me quite a while to get this to sink in, and I cannot say that this has fully sunk in yet. But what I do is try to apply it to my life as best as I can, even if by means of sheer will. And God has indeed shown up in my life at different times.
Just do the best you can, and seek Him diligently, and He will show up for you as well.
God Is With You
Have you ever asked God, “Where are you?”
Some days it can feel like you’re walking alone through life. It can seem like God is not present or with you. Or maybe it feels like He has deserted you in a difficult time.
The nation of Israel experienced many moments like this. They cried out to God in the midst of pain and exile. They were honest in their prayers to God—they told Him exactly how they felt in the midst of hardship.
In turn, God spoke to them through the prophets. He spoke words of comfort and hope. He reminded them of His promises, and that His character never changes.
While it can sometimes seem like God deserts us, we know from His promises that He is always with us. Through life’s loneliest times or most difficult seasons, God is right next to us. He walks through every season of life by our side.
Not only is He with us, but He also promises to strengthen us and help us in times of difficulty. When we feel like we’ve run out of strength to continue, God will provide His strength for us.
God will provide the help we need to keep living in His will. He doesn’t promise to give us strength to do whatever we want, but rather—He gives us courage and empowerment to continue walking according to His plans for our life.
So, in seasons of hardship when we feel like we’ve run empty, we should lean in to God’s promises and trust Him. We should trust that He will empower us and strengthen us for whatever we’re facing.
Take some time today to pray to God. If He feels distant, ask Him to be close to you. If you feel weak, ask Him to strengthen you. He promises to uphold you, so trust in His promises. Continue to build a relationship with God and seek His presence. As you do, you’ll find a renewed strength as you walk through life with Him.
https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.41.10.NKJV
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