March 31, 2020 - I am a positive person, my glass is almost always half full and almost never half empty and so it grieves me to keep talking about fear, but fear is what is gripping our world today.
Fear of the unknown, fear of the CV19 virus, fear for our own lives and the lives of our loved ones in the face of this dread disease.
But, I have heard enough of this fear and wish to tell you, not about the great storms of life that we all face, but about the Great God that guides me through all storms.
I want you to know that, yes, sometimes the storms are big, but that my God is always bigger, he is alway greater than anything this world may throw at me.
Listen to what he, the Lord God, says to all who will listen and believe in him as Lord over all.
"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)
Let us look closely as what God is telling us in this wonderful verse of the Bible. God says, "Fear not" God asks us for faith, not fear. Faith in him as Lord over all is our strength that overcomes all fear, both real and imagined.
Why must we not fear? "For I am with you" - no matter the situation, as long as we remain, "in faith" we have nothing to fear for God is with us and God is protecting us.
"Be not dismayed" - the dictionary says about dismayed - "experiencing or showing feelings of alarmed concern or dismay : upset, worried, or agitated because of some unwelcome situation or occurrence"
But God says, "be not dismayed, for I am your God" - Not only is he God Almighty, creator of the universe and all things in it, he is also, "your God". Do you see that, he is not some unknown god, no he is "your God" therefore we have no reason to be dismayed or fearful for he is the Great I am, the Sovereign God of all and he is your God and my God.
Do not be dismayed at the size of the storm, remember the size of our God, he is larger than any storm, any disease, any pandemic, he is God and there is none other than him!
God says, "I will strengthen you, I will help you" All we must do is to trust him and not ourselves. Do as the great king Solomon suggests, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." (Proverbs 3:5-7)
As the Lord himself says, "Fear not, for I am with you."
Faith in God as Lord of all gives us confidence that he will do exactly as he says, if we only believe in him as he asks. He will strengthen us and he will help us through all situations in life.
How does he do this?
"I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Yes, God will lift us above the fray, he will hold us up in his mighty right hand, safe in him, from all the storms of life. If we only trust him, if we only have faith in him, if we simply trust and obey him as he asks.
So I say to you as we all confront this deadly virus around the globe, do as your health professionals ask, stay home, stay hydrated, maintain a safe distance from all other people, we are told here that safe distance is 6 feet, wash often with soap and water, but most of all, trust in the Lord our God to overcome this storm of life for us and to bring us safely out the other side.
Don't waste time telling God how big the storm in front of you is; instead, tell the storm in front of you how big your God is.
He is Omnipotent, there is none other like him, trust him, believe him and have faith that he will do all that he says, for he certainly will.
"Fear not, for I am with you" - always for all who believe and obey his will...
