Fear not, for I am with you

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Fear not - This was Jesus' watchword. When His disciples were in a storm on the lake, He walked to them on the water. When they saw His distant form and were terrified, He said to them, "Don't fear, it is I."

For I am with you - Jesus is the Great "I AM" of scripture. He said, "I am with you, even to the end of the world." His name is Immanuel, God with us. We find this golden thread all through the Bible: In the fiery furnace of Babylon He was with the three men who stood faithful to Him.

Don't be dismayed, for I am your God - The Hebrew word dismayed is translated: to gaze about for help; to be bewildered. When it seems as if there's no one to help you, when earthly support has failed, God has promised to be with you, come what may.

I will strengthen you - If you are in need of strength today, He has promised to strengthen you.

I will help you - If you can't see your way through the storm, He will help you.

I will uphold you - If you are sinking, He will hold you up.

Take courage, God is with you!

My God shall supply all your need

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:19

The verse can be written this way also: And my God shall supply all your need (according to His riches in glory) by Christ Jesus. Our need is supplied by Jesus - from God to Jesus to us.

Paul had traveled much and heard about and seen many gods. The church at Philippi had taken Paul "under their wings", so to speak, during his ministry to them. He reminded the church at Philippi that his God, their God, is above all other gods. Sometimes we need to slow down and be reminded from whence our strength comes. Is He your God?

Psalm 50:10 says, "For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."

Think about this: How rich is God? How needy are you? He has enough to supply ALL your need.

Thus far the LORD has helped us

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far the LORD has helped us.' " 1 Samuel 7:12

The stone that the prophet set up was a memorial in remembrance of what God had done for the nation. Especially that day had they seen His hand working on their behalf to save them from their enemies, the Philistine army. Ebenezer literally means "Look what God has done for us up to this point!"

We, too, set up memorials, usually made from some permanent substance like granite, or bronze, so that time and the elements do not erode them. Their messages are etched for us to remember.

At the start of this new day, may you set up a memorial, a reminder, as you look back and say with the prophet of old, "Up to this point God has helped me." And Ebenezer reminds us that we can go forward, because He will continue to help us and be with us.

May this day bring you courage and hope from Him who says "I will never leave you, nor forsake you."

Do not let your hearts be troubled

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:1-3, 27.

Jesus' words "do not let your hearts be troubled", in verses 1 and 27, are like two bookends of comfort on either side of the story of redemption. In between the bookends He talks about heaven, a real place, with a room for each redeemed soul who puts their trust in Him. Jesus talks about the Father, to whom He will return, after His sacrifice for sin. He talks about the Holy Spirit, Whom He will send to the Earth, and the work of comfort and teaching that the Spirit will do. And then he adds, to the words in verse one, as a benediction and reminder "and do not be afraid."

We have nothing to fear - Jesus is near.

Sir, You have nothing to draw with

"Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep." John 4:11

Today's verse is part of a discussion between Jesus and a Samaritan woman, whom He met at a well. Read the entire story, verses 4-42.

Sir, You have nothing to draw with - When we think of a well, we usually picture a shaft with a spool of rope and a crank-handle, suspended over the mouth of the well. A bucket is attached to the rope, and you help yourself - it's all there. Apparently, at the wells of those days, you brought your own rope, tied it to the neck of your water jar, and let the jar down into the water to be filled. You then drew it up and went your way, rope and all. Often, a large flat stone was laid upon the mouth of the well, to keep debris etc. from entering. This is why the Samaritan woman looks at Jesus and tells Him He has nothing - He has no rope; He has no water jar; she tells Jesus that He is not able. From all outward appearances, He can do nothing, He is helpless to help her. (Lord, forgive me for taking You at face-value, without looking into Your face!)

And the well is deep - This further amplifies, in her mind, the impossibility of Jesus getting any water. She's reminding Jesus, "the water is far away from You." He isn't able to climb into this well and get the water, as He may have done, had the well been shallow. We view the difficulties around us in much the same way. Sir, the well is deep - Jesus, the obstacle is too great. You can't help me!

If we would sit with Jesus, we would find out what He is able to do.

Today, take time to sit with Jesus at your well. Have a conversation with Him. Tell Him you long for just a sip of the water that He has.

Have a spiritually thirst-quenching day!

But David strengthened himself in the LORD

"Then David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God." 1 Samuel 30:6

Then David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him - David was "between a rock and a hard place", so to speak. The reason for his great distress was this: David and his 600 soldiers, fleeing from Israel's king Saul, had defected to the king of Philistia. They had taken with them their wives and children, and were temporarily living in the city of Ziklag in Philistine territory. The Philistines were preparing to go to battle against the Israelites. David and his men were ready to fight alongside the Philistines, but the princes of the Philistine nation urged their king to send David back to his city and families. When David and his warriors arrived at Ziklag, they found the city burned and their wives and children taken captive by another invading army, the Amalekites. The Bible says the men "lifted up their voices and wept until they had no power to weep." No wonder David was in trouble; his own warriors wanted to put him to death, blaming him for the capture of their families and the loss of their possessions.

But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God - there was nowhere else to turn. David had not a friend in the world, and his life was in danger. And so, instead of panicking, He turned to the only Friend he had…the One who had been his support in life. There are several ways to strengthen yourself in the Lord: prayer is one way. Another is to recall the way God has lead you along the path of life in past years. Yet another way is to do something about the situation. I'm sure David did all three. The story has a happy ending…David rallied his soldiers, chased after the enemy and regained all they had lost. Great rejoicing followed.

Do you find yourself in a desperate situation today? Turn to the Lord and He will strengthen you, and show you a way out of the situation. When all earthly support is gone, don't forget the Heavenly support!

God has not given us a spirit of fear

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." 2 Tim. 1:7

The spirit of fear comes from God's enemy.

The power comes from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Love is the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Gal. 5:22.

The sound mind is self-control, which comes from God being in control, which is also the last fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5:22.

May your day be bright. Put the power of this verse to work for you.