The Promises- God will hold you close

Sometimes we need a promise from God that gives our hearts comfort. Sometimes life feels like it is approaching us too fast and is chaotic. Sometimes it seems that life is against us and that everything is hopeless. But before we despair, we can turn to a very specific promise from God that is given in Isaiah 41.

Isaiah 41 records a declaration of God’s power over nations and an affirmation of who God is. Inside of that comes one of the most comforting verses found in scripture. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.” This promise reminds us of a few things.

First, we do not need to be afraid! The promise that we do not need to be afraid is repeated roughly 365 times in the Bible, depending on your translation. That number holds significance though. There are 365 days in the year and 365 times God tells us not to fear! Simply put, we do not need to be afraid!

But God does not just tell the Israelites and us not to be afraid. God gives us reasons why. God gives five reasons why we do not need to be afraid. These are:

1. I am with you

2. I am your God

3. I will strengthen you

4. I will help you

5. I will hold onto you with my righteous right hand

Each one of these five reasons points us to one simple truth that Isaiah 41:10 makes clear- God is close to us. God is close to us! Our God is not an impersonal, distant God; rather, our God is close and personal.

So, when life feels too hard, when life feels hopeless, we can cling to this promise not to fear because God is close to us! Our God holds us close and we can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus. Today I want to challenge you to make sure that your relationship with God is personal and that you know Jesus as your Savior. There is truly no better thing in the world than to know Jesus and when we know Jesus, we can experience this closeness with God that is promised in Isaiah 41:10 in a new depth!

Pastor Daniel