Isaiah 41:10 - I Am With You

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." (NLT) What beautiful words that the Lord gives to us in this verse. What a beautiful picture of our relationship with him. God has never sought for us to be afraid or discouraged. He has never wanted us to be weak or defeated, and God himself wants to help us to overcome these things. The first two sentences of this verse are written in a very simple way: God gives a command, then gives a reason for it. Then the last two sentences are promises that God is making to his people. I'm going to look at each of these sentences but firstly I'm going to give you a bit of background on this verse. This verse is spoken by God through the prophet Isaiah, who was commissioned by God to warn the people of Judah of the coming destruction of Jerusalem due to their disobedience to God, however, Isaiah was also given a message of hope. Hope that God would once again rescue his people. This verse is part of God's promise to the Israelites that he will call them back to himself after they are taken into exile. This verse is part of a smaller section of God's statement which can be seen from verses 8-10. In this, section God is once again singling out Israel as his chosen people, and declaring that he is, and will always be, their God. The first sentence of this verse tells us to not be afraid. It is never indicated what we are to not be afraid of, therefore we must assume it simply means to not be afraid of anything. Now normally, this wouldn't make sense. It is logical, and in fact quite sensible, to be afraid if we have just received news that a great army is coming to destroy our homes and slaughter us (as Isaiah had just told the people of Judah). However, God gives us a reason to not be afraid: he is with you. The Almighty Creator of the entire universe is with you. With God, things that should normally terrify us, are no longer a major problem. Not because the thing has changed, but because we have someone with us who is easily capable of handling the problem. For the next sentence, God gives very similar reasoning but the command is different. God tells us not to be discouraged. Discouragement can be defined as a loss of hope, and considering the terrifying warnings that Isaiah had given in this book, it is likely that many would lose hope. Here God is telling them not to lose hope, and the reason given is that he is their God. Even though the coming destruction is because the people of Judah have rejected God, God hasn't rejected them and he will be faithful even though they have been unfaithful. This applies to everyone who worships and serves the Lord God. We shouldn't be discouraged, we shouldn't lose hope, for he is the God of hope and he will ensure that, ultimately, everything will work out for good (Romans 8:28).

As I mentioned previously, the last half of this verse is comprised of two promises that God gives to his people. The first being: "I will strengthen you and help you." This promise is one of the greatest promises God has given to mankind. For God himself, the Almighty Creator of the universe is helping us throughout our lives. With God by our side, nothing can stop us from moving forward towards his plan for us. And when we get exhausted during our life, when we don't feel like we can push on, God has promised to strengthen us and enable us to go on long after we would have failed on our own.

The final promise of this verse is one of victory. Here God is promising that the imminent defeat of his people is a temporary one and that he will once again be victorious over the enemies of his people. Notice how God doesn't say "I will give you victory", he says that he will lift you up with his victorious hand. God is the victorious one, it is God who wins the victory, and he will bring you with him into that victory. This promise doesn't just apply to military victories. It can apply to any area of life. Finances, relationships, health, etc. Give these areas to God and he will do something with them. And when you see a victory then you will give glory to God, for it is he who has won it for you. So give your worries to God and he will bring you into victory.

This verse beautifully tells us what our relationship with God is like. We needn't be afraid for the Almighty is with us, we shouldn't be discouraged for the Lord is our God. He will ensure that we are able to endure through our trials and he will bring us into a victory that could only be achieved by him. So let me encourage you. When you suffer, turn to the God of healing, when you are defeated, turn to the God of victory. God will provide for you and keep you safe, if you'll let him.

Prayer

Lord God, in my struggles, help me to focus on you, for you are my source of strength, and you are the one who gives me victory. When I am afraid, remind me of who is by my side, when I lose hope, remind me who you are. I praise your name and I thank you for all you have done for me. Amen.