Saturday, May 30, 2020
Isaiah 41 – Fear Not
Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed; I am your God. I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice. (Verse 10)
These words are so like the ones we hear from Jesus in John 14:1: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
Jesus consoles not only his followers but also us today with the words: Do not let your hearts be troubled. These are words that bolster us at times of great difficulty and stress. What do we most want to hear when we feel crushed by people and events beyond our control influence? We want to know where we ought to focus our eyes, how to engage ourselves, why we ought to feel positive about what is taking place around us. We want to know where to put our feet. We want to hope that all will be well . . . despite our dire circumstances. We want to know who and what and how to trust. We want to know that evil will not reign and goodness will return. We want to believe that light overcomes darkness. We want to hope that prayers are answered. We want to be unafraid to love intimately.
Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed . . . I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice . . . Do not let your hearts be troubled . . . have faith . . . in me.
We want something solid to touch before we hand over our souls. We want to have facts and figures to compare, to jot down, and to check out. We want everything spelled out. We want no fine print to trip us up. We want guarantees and yet . . .
We have all of this and more . . . in abundance . . . when we make ourselves empty to receive the Holy Spirit – the voice of God that lives and moves among us.
We have all that we need . . . in abundance . . . when we follow the model Christ has given to us.
We are loved truly and well . . . in abundance . . . when we rely on the creator who knows us better than anyone else.
Creator, Son and Holy Spirit, three in one, speak with us constantly but in our anxiety and haste we do not hear them say . . .
Fear not, I am with you; be not dismayed . . . I will strengthen you, and help you, and uphold you with my right hand of justice . . . Do not let your hearts be troubled . . . have faith . . . in me.
Tomorrow, believing the promise of the Trinity . . .
Image from: https://oshkoshdesigns.com/product/misc62/
Adapted from a reflection written on August 3, 2009.
The Noontimes 