Help Is Available

“For I, the Lord your God,  will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not. I will help you.’ ”
Isaiah 41:13 (NKJV)

What were you afraid of when you were a child? I was afraid of many things, but, for a time, my greatest fear was turkeys. At about age six, I walked to school with my  older cousin and  had to pass a fenced yard with huge gobblers. The noisy  animals would spread their wings and sweep toward the fence as we passed by. I was terrified, but with my cousin’s confident hand and words,  I  walked past the dreaded spot.

In Isaiah 41:13,  the picture of  God speaking courage to  His people Israel is one that we can apply to ourselves today.  Like a strong, dependable parent, ready to quiet  the fears of  a  worried child, the Lord  promises to take hold of  His children’s hand, whispering words of comfort to them.  And truly,  even though we are children of God, we have our share of  things to make us afraid and in need of a comforting word.  At times  we  feel vulnerable when we bump up against situations that unsettle us.  We get a scary health diagnosis after a routine exam; an incident at our job escalates and causes us emotional distress; financial difficulties  threaten to rob us of our sleep at night; we have a big family dcision to make, and we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings making it; a trusted friend betrays us.  These are the  times when God’s voice breaks in with assurance: “I will help you.” And He takes our hand as He promised He would, and we are comforted when we feel the strength pass from His hand to ours. Admittedly, we might not receive  an immediate, easy solution to our problem, but we’ll find peace (John 14:27)  while we deal with the situation.

Some people refuse to take His hand. “I can do this myself,” they say. They believe in self-reliance. And still there are others who try to hide the reality of their fear, but God, who sees, knows,  and loves us all, holds out His hand anyway. The image is vivid and potent. When our Lord says to us in a trying time, “I will  help you,” let us listen to  His voice and be quick to reach out and by faith  take hold of His outstretched hand that will steady us, calm our fears, and give us His  peace.

Prayer: Lord, I  gladly take Your hand, offered in love,  so that I might find peace, confidence, and direction in dealing with life’s vicissitudes.

Always,

Judith

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