With all the bad news going around in the world today, isn't it refreshing
when you hear or read some good news?! The best place you will ever find
the greatest news of all, is in the Word of God! I found some great news
this morning during my reading that points out the many benefits of having
a Shepherd. Let me share it with 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."
God's strength, help and support is available to us - now that IS great
news, isn't it?! It refreshes the heart to review such precious promises
that our loving Shepherd has made us! So then, why don't we do it more
often?? Why do we live as if we were paupers when we are children of the
King?! When we do, we trouble our own hearts and become a slave to our
fears....
While exercising recently, I invited my youngest son Luke to go with me
on my daily walk along the path at a nearby park I go to. As we were walking,
we were coming toward a bench where there was a man, somewhat intimidating
in appearance, sitting by. I could sense that Luke was uncomfortable with
the situation, for he immediately reached for my hand, silently placed
his in mine, and drew closer to me. I assured him everything would be
all right, and as we continued to approach and then pass by the man on
the bench, his steps grew more confident. This morning as I read further
down in Isaiah chapter 41 and came upon verse 13, I could not help but
think back to Luke's behavior on our walk as I did so.
"For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear
not; I will help thee."
Ladies, this is a perfect picture of how we need to handle our fears!
We need to reach for His hand when we are fearful, remembering that He
is always by our side ready to comfort and assure us with His Word that
all will be well, for He is our help! Luke's fears were calmed at my presence....
Are yours calmed at knowing the Lord is with you wherever you go? Reach
for His hand, draw closer to the Lord, place yourself in His care, and
you will find His comfort and assurance of help. Yes, the promise of God's
protection delivers us from fear and brings confidence to our every step!
Joshua 1:9, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage;
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with
thee withersoever thou goest."
In this portion of scripture, Joshua's job consisted of leading more than
two million people into a strange new land and conquering it. What a challenge
- even for a man of Joshua's caliber! Every new job is a challenge, amen?
Without the Lord it can be frightening... With the Lord, it can be a great
adventure and a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our faith! The Lord
says, "Have not I commanded thee?" reminding us of WHO it is that's in
charge, WHO it is that's in control. Ladies, HE is the Great Commander
of the affairs of our life. We ought to gain courage in knowing that,
amen? Just as God was with Joshua, He too is with us as we face our new
challenges. We may not conquer nations, but every day we face tough situations,
difficult people, and various temptations. However, God promises that
He will never abandon us or fail to help us! By asking God to direct us
we can conquer many of life's challenges - and our fears too. In the face
of such challenges though, be careful not to leave God out of your thinking
and try to figure things out for yourself! Our loving Shepherd wants us
to remember His presence and be comforted in that - much more than in
our own understanding!
Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths."
Are you ever ashamed of your fears? What about when those closest to you
become aware of your fear, do you feel ashamed then? Take a moment if
you would right now and read Nehemiah chapter 2. I am not going to include
the whole chapter here, but I am going to include a few key verses that
point out the healthy way Nehemiah dealt with his fear. Let's look at
verse 2:
"Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou
art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very
sore afraid, and said unto the king..."
We see here, that the king noticed Nehemiah's sad appearance. This frightened
Nehemiah because it was dangerous to show sorrow before the king who could
execute anyone who displeased him. May I remind you that our King - the
King of Kings, notices our sad appearance as well, notices when our hearts
are troubled. Nehemiah's fears were troubling him and when fear troubles
us, it shows on our faces, amen? But Nehemiah, knowing his fears were
evident, simply confessed them to the king. He was honest about it...
What a lesson for us! Do you confess your fears to the Lord dear lady?
Or do you deny that they exist... True, God knows of them even if we don't,
but we need to humbly unload them in the proper place, therefore we must
learn to take all of our fears unashamedly to our King! After all, the
Lord is the only one who can do anything about them... You see then how
remembering God's greatness can help resist fear!
Vs. 2-6, ".....And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why
should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers'
sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? *So I prayed
to the God of heaven.* And I said unto the king, If it please the king,
and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest
send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may
build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,)
For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased
the king to send me; and I set him a time."
Not only was Nehemiah not ashamed to honestly admit his fear, but he refused
to allow fear to stop him from doing what God had called him to do! Ladies,
when we allow our fears to rule us, we make fear more powerful than God.
Perhaps there is a task God wants you to do but your fear has been holding
you back.... Fear makes the task bigger than it is, yet God is greater
than all your fears! Recognizing why you are afraid is the first step
in committing it to God. Realize that if God has called you to a particular
task, He will help you accomplish it just as He helped Nehemiah, who happily
overcame his fears by facing them and depending upon God. The next time
fear knocks at your door, why not let faith answer?
Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his
trust in the Lord shall be safe."
It is far better to fear God than to fear man. Fear of people can hamper
everything you try to do. In extreme forms, it can even make you afraid
to leave your home! By contrast, the fear of God - respect, reverence,
and trust - is liberating, it brings us freedom to do what seems like
the impossible! The proper fear of God breaks the trap fear has us in
that we can't seem to get out of. Why fear people who can do no eternal
harm? Instead, we should fear God who can turn the harm intended by others
into good for those who trust Him. This sets us free! Free to serve the
Lord and others.
Hallelujah! Now THAT's good news!
God
Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright
2000 Pamela A. Iannello
