Tag: Isaiah 41:10

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He Fights for His Own

Dear sister,

May I tell you a story? The story of a young girl…

She hid behind a living room chair and waited out the burst of anger inflicted on a sibling by an adult who was hurting too. Fear rose up in her from this early memory…and stayed with her. It stayed when she thought she had to be a perfect student, afraid of failing. It plagued her when she wondered if she’d win the races, so she pushed herself harder than most. Would her worth be questioned if she lost? The fear became a friend that motivated her to succeed at a prestigious private school, and the fear led her to believe that God had abandoned her when life got difficult. Was she really not loveable? Was she not working hard enough, being a ‘good enough’ Christian, sister, friend, daughter…etc., etc.?

That was me, until the perfect love of Christ won over. 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love –1 John 4:18. Perfect love pushed the pesky fear out of the dark corners of my heart, exposed the ‘lies, whys, what- ifs, maybes and shoulds’. Do you entertain these demanding houseguests too? They are no longer welcome at my home, though they still come calling. It’s better for me to look through the peephole and keep the door closed!

A dear friend confided in me once that she realized that most, if not all of her actions were motivated by fear, not love. What a telling and convicting comment. Can you relate? Why do we do what we do? Are our actions a result of love more often, or of fear? I am no different than this friend, but I have come quite a long way. Oh may we all search our hearts to see if Christ, or the enemy, is winning the battle over our lives!

I’ll leave you with two of my favorite verses on this topic… and the context of when they became dear to me.

When I lay on my sick bed in Ghana, fighting a possibly fatal bout of malaria, God seared Isaiah 41:10 on my heart. “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.”

And another sickness, when I lay in a hospital bed in Colorado, having been diagnosed with a condition that shamed (at the time) and confused me, bills left unpaid, friends and family scattered, and life looking hopeless… I heard the words of my Savior. He promised to fight for me when I could not fight. From Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

He will fight for you, sister, and gain the victory over your fears. You are not alone, and you need not fear. Not now, not ever. Our strong and mighty God is able to hold you, comfort you, and bring you safely home.

In Christian love,
Ruth

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His Wings, His Courage

“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

Dear sister,

When you think about courage, what comes to mind? Bravery, strength, honor? What about fear? Do you ever think of a courageous person of someone who is afraid? Of course not! But is being fearless really a prerequisite to earn the title courageous?

Ambrose Redmoon once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”

When people hear about my trip to Africa they will occasionally say, “That was brave of you.” or “That must have taken some courage to travel half way across the world.” I find the comment funny because I don’t tend to think of myself as a woman of courage. I’m scared to death of spiders and anything else that creeps or crawls on the earth and I was definitely scared when I was at the airport about to fly to a third world country having never left the United States before. I was scared even a few days before I even arrived at the airport! I couldn’t know ahead of time whether I would make it to each destination safely or without complication. I couldn’t know if the people I would be meeting up with in Amsterdam would arrive on time and that we’d all be able to catch the same flight as planned. I couldn’t know those kinds of things and there was a certain level of fear and nervousness that came along with that uncertainty. Have you ever been afraid of the unknown?

Fear is dangerous; it can control and even paralyze us. We can be so afraid of doing something that it keeps us from obeying God. But, I didn’t let that stop me. I didn’t say, “No, God, I know you want me in Uganda but I really don’t think I can manage the long flights.” Courage is not doing big things without fear, it’s doing things in spite of fear. It’s understanding that yes, this obstacle is big and scary but my God is bigger. My God is trustworthy and I can trust Him to bring me through this even though I am afraid right now. I was nervous about leaving the country and going to Uganda but I trusted that the Lord would bring me there and back safely and went where He was calling me to go. And guess what? He was faithful to do it! So I think Redmoon had it right. Courage is not the absence of fear but rather realizing that the goal, or the desired outcome, is more important than fear. My calling to serve the Lord in Africa for two weeks was far greater than my fear of traveling half way across the world. God doesn’t expect us to be fearless. It’s clear from Scripture that He knows we will be afraid at times. But what does He say? In Joshua 1:9 the Lord says, “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” It doesn’t matter where you are, what you’re doing in life or what is that you are afraid of. The Lord your God is with you, He will strengthen you, He will help you, and He will uphold you with His righteous right hand (Is. 41:10). So take courage, dear sister, and trust in Him.

Under His wing,

Kayla

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14