When We Are Fearful

When We Are Fearful

Isaiah 41:8-20 (NASB)

8 “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend,

9 You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you.’

10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

11 Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish.

12 You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent.

13 For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’

14 “Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the LORD, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”

15 Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges; You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them, And will make the hills like chaff.

16 You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away, And the storm will scatter them; But you will rejoice in the LORD, You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

17 The afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, And their tongue is parched with thirst; I, the LORD, will answer them Myself, As the God of Israel I will not forsake them.

18 I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water.

19 I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; I will place the juniper in the desert Together with the box tree and the cypress,

20 That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.”

Throughout the Bible, God encourages us not to be afraid or anxious, because as His children, we have no basis for fear. Of course, there are reasons to be cautious about what we do and where we go but living in a state of anxiety is uncalled-for.

We all have different fears—such as fear of criticism, illness, death, and poverty. These are universal worries, but they’re symptoms of something deep inside that feeds our concerns. Some of the root causes are:

A basic sense of inadequacy. We might feel incompetent to tackle some challenges or tasks.

The tendency to set unrealistic standards for ourselves. We can go through life trying to measure up to expectations that are self-imposed rather than ones set by God.

An innate sense of unworthiness. We might feel we don’t deserve God’s goodness.

In the midst of our fears and anxieties, we need to remember God’s promise from Isaiah 41: “Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isa. 41:10). It’s important that we look to Him and not at our circumstances.