A New Day: Three Reasons You Don’t Need to Be Afraid, Part 1

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Jason

I read an article this week about the fears of famous people. The article pointed out that Jennifer Aniston, John Madden, and Whoopi Goldberg are all aviophobes. They’re afraid of flying. (And I thought Mr. T was the only one.) Tyra Banks admits to a deep-seated fear of dolphins; Scarlett Johansson has a fear of birds. Johnny Deep is coulrophobic, which means he is afraid of clowns. But the celebrity with the most phobias might be Woody Allen. He’s afraid of insects, dogs, deer, bright colors, children, heights, small rooms, crowds, and sunshine.

What about you? What are some of your fears? I doubt “sunshine” is the first thing that comes to your mind (unless you’re a vampire). But do you have any work-related fears? Any financial fears? What about fears related to your family or a close friend? Maybe you’re facing a major life decision that has you really worried and fearful. These are the kinds of fears that are more likely to be in our hearts today.

Fear is an incredibly powerful force — one that will truly wreck our lives when we give in to it. That’s what makes the word of God to Isaiah so important for us, too. In this ancient prophecy, we find a word that speaks directly to our present fears, a promise that our anxieties can be transformed in the dawning light of God’s new day.

For the past few weeks, we have been walking through Isaiah 40 — what we’ve been calling Isaiah’s “Comfort Trilogy.” In the midst of all of these words of comfort, God repeatedly talks about the importance of not being afraid. In fact, from Isaiah 40-55 — the middle section of Isaiah — God says this on ten different occasions. Ten times God says to the people, Fear not. Here are all ten of these references if you’d like to take a look at them.

The most repeated command in the Scriptures is not a command about sex or money or hatred or taking part in some religious practice. Rather, it’s the command to not be afraid. That’s because fear is the greatest obstacle to pursuing the will of God.

Over these next few posts, I want to look at three of Isaiah’s Fear Not statements. In each of these three statements, you’ll see that God gives us a reason not to give in to our fears. I hope we’ll find these ancient words from Isaiah to be relevant to our fears today.

But you, Israel, my servant…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 41:8-10

Reason #1: Fear not, for I am with you.

This is what God says to His people who are a long way from home. These words apply to the people of Isaiah’s day, who had strayed into the “foreign land” of idolatry. They certainly apply to the people of the next generation who would find themselves living in exile in Babylon. And I believe we can apply them to our situation today as we live in a land that seems to grow more worldly with each passing day.

And in the midst of these circumstances, God says, Fear not, for I am with you. We touched on this idea a few weeks ago — the power of that little word “with.” When the right person is with us, we feel as if we can do anything. And in the Bible, when God tells His people not to be afraid, it is almost always followed by this promise: for I am with you. The basis for the biblical injunction against fear is always the promise and presence of God.

Life’s circumstances are not the ultimate barometer of God’s presence with His people. We don’t measure God’s presence based on whether things are going well or going poorly. We measure His presence on the basis of His promise. That’s it. What proof do we have that God is present with His people? We have His faithful promise. We have the promise we discussed a few weeks ago — God says I will never leave you nor forsake you. That’s His promise. And if Isaiah 40:8 is true — The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever — then this means God’s promise is just as valid today as it was on the day He spoke it all those centuries ago.

God tells His people not to be dismayed, but instead to trust in His promise. The word “dismayed” means “to dart glances this way and that” as if not knowing where to look for safety. It is the action you take when you don’t know who to trust. But God says, “You don’t have to do this. Stop looking around; look instead to me for your deliverance. I am here. I am with you.” This is the promise of God to His people.

I am starting to believe that promises are the most important things in life. Nothing else really matters outside of the promises you make to others and the promises God makes to us. God promises to be with His people, therefore we need not fear.

Are you dismayed?

Do you find your eyes darting to and fro, looking for someone you can trust?

Hear again the promise of God:

Reason #1: Fear not, for I am with you.

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A New Day: Comfort in God’s Strength, Part 3

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Jason

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted…

Isaiah 40:30

No matter our physical strength, it eventually wears out. Even for the young and energetic, our own resources and capacities are limited. We grow old, weary, exhausted.

My cousin is an ultra-marathon runner. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an “ultra-marathon” until he started running them. Apparently there is a rare breed of individual for whom running 26.2 miles at a time simply isn’t grueling enough. These gluttons for punishment run 50 miles or 100 miles or, in some instances, even farther. My cousin has run multiple 100 mile races. He’s also run a few 24 hour races — which, as you might guess, is a non-stop race with no breaks for 24 hours. His longest run was a 500K race a few years ago, which is 314 miles. That race was the VolState 500K, which is a race from one end of the state of Tennessee to the other. Greg won that race in 2019. He also qualified for the U.S. Ultra Team a few years ago. He is one of the strongest, most disciplined people I know.

But even with all of his physical strength, Greg eventually grows faint. At one of his races, he actually pushed himself too far. He passed out and had to be hospitalized for a few days afterward. As the Lord says, even young men shall fall exhausted.

But no so with our God. Isaiah contrasts the fleeting strength of youth with the inexhaustible strength of the eternal God.

…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

God doesn’t grow weary. His energy is a renewable resource. The older we get, the more weary we become. But not so with God. He never grows tired of carrying us, of comforting us, of fighting on our behalf and shepherding our souls. And His strength is transferred to those who wait on Him, those who trust in Him. He renews their strength. According to Hebrew scholars, the language here is more like, “they change their strength.” Like changing into fresh clothing, we trade in our weakness for His strength.

Centuries earlier, God said to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself,” (Exodus 19:4). This was God’s way of describing how He had delivered the people out of Egypt. He brought them out of bondage by bearing them on eagles’ wings. Fast forward to Isaiah’s day and God says, “I’ll do it again. For those who wait on me and hope in me, I’ll renew your strength. I’ll carry you just like I carried my people all those years ago.”

And today, God says the same thing to us.

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A New Day: Comfort in God’s Strength, Part 2

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Jason

In Isaiah 40, the prophet declares that God does not faint or grow weary. Isaiah wants the people to know that their God has not grown tired. The people might be weary, but God is not. He hasn’t lost a step; He’s the Creator of the ends of the earth, but His work load does not exhaust Him. He operates out of the wellspring of His own eternal energy and passion. Unlike you and me, God does not grow weary.

In the 1990s, Energizer came up with a highly successful campaign: the Energizer Bunny. You’ve probably seen him: pink rabbit wearing sunglasses, banging on a drum. The commercial’s tagline says that Energizer batteries “keep going and going and going….”

Isaiah says the same thing about our God. He keeps going and going and going because of His eternal strength. Therefore, He is never too tired to deliver His people. Back to what we said last week, He’s never too tired to fight for His people. He doesn’t grow weary of shepherding our souls. God is inexhaustible — He operates out of His eternal strength.

And God is so strong that He has strength to share. As Isaiah says, He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might he increases strength. God generously shares His strength and power with those who are “faint.” This is an interesting word. It refers to those who have lost heart, those who don’t think they can go on any longer. And let’s face it: we all reach this point. At one time or another, we find ourselves worn out and weary, not sure we can go on any longer. I just want to ask the question again: I wonder how many of us feel that way right now.

But that’s where God meets us. He is promising here to give His own strength and power to us right there where we feel the weakest and the most weary. Isn’t that a comforting thought?

I saw a young girl in the airport once. One of the wheels on her suitcase had busted, so instead of rolling it behind her, she had to carry it through the airport. And she was crying, “Daddy, it’s too heavy!” And her Dad turned around and said, “It’s okay, let me carry it.” She handed the bag over to him and he lifted it up like it was nothing. And then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her, too!

This is our God. He gives strength to the weary.

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On Deck

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Jason
Posted in Baseball, Family, Kids, Sports | Leave a comment

Unexpected Snow

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Jason

We got about 4-5 inches of unexpected snow tonight!

Posted in Blessings, Family, Huntsville, Kids, Sunny | Leave a comment

A New Day: Comfort in God’s Strength, Part 1

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Jason

One of the things I really love about God’s Word is that it provides us with an antidote to the weariness we feel from time to time. I wonder how many of us are weary with worry. Maybe your worries are work-related; maybe they have to do with a relationship with a friend or a family member. Maybe you’re just exhausted because of the pace you’ve been keeping. Maybe the circumstances of your life have you feeling like you can’t go on.

If any of that resonates with you, I hope you’ll lean in a bit as we continue our Isaiah series. Because in the passage of Scripture we’ll look at here, God makes an amazing promise to comfort us in our weariness and our weakness. It’s the kind of promise that God renews with each new sunrise; His mercies are new every morning. We’re talking about God’s promise to comfort us with His eternal strength.

For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at Isaiah 40, which is one of the great “comfort” chapters in the entire Bible. The next time you need comfort from God, I hope you’ll return to Isaiah 40. We’ve noticed a “Comfort Trilogy” in this chapter; three truths from God that bring us comfort. So far we’ve looked at:

  • Comfort in God’s Word: God’s Word is eternal and unchanging, which is a comforting thought. Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.
  • Comfort in God’s Character: His character is unchanging. He is the Mighty Warrior fighting on our behalf, but He is also the Gentle Shepherd who cares for His people.

And today we look to the final piece of this “Comfort Trilogy” in Isaiah 40 — we can find comfort in God’s eternal strength. God’s strength is without limit. There is no problem too great for the strength of our God.

The message of Isaiah 40 was delivered to a people who were weary and worried and weak. If you know what that feels like, I hope you’ll be encouraged by what God says here.

Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God?”

Isaiah 40:27

The people of Isaiah’s day were despondent and discouraged. They felt as if God had hidden His face from them, that God had looked the other way. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt as if God has forgotten all about you? Have you ever wondered, “Lord, are you still there? Do you remember me?” If so, you’re not alone. In Isaiah’s day, God’s people are crying out in weariness: “How did we end up here? Lord, where are you?”

But remember what we’ve been saying for the past few weeks: this is one of the great “comfort” chapters in the Bible. And God has a special word of comfort for His weary people. It starts with the next verse:

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Isaiah asks the people two rhetorical questions: Have you not known? Have you not heard? This is just a way of saying, “Remember what you’ve heard about God. Remember His faithfulness, His enduring love, etc.” Isaiah is calling the past to mind by saying, “Remember who God has been for you all these years.” That’s a helpful place to begin when we are weak and weary and worried.

Then Isaiah says, The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. This calls to mind what we talked about last week — God’s character is unchanging. There is consistency to His character. By remembering who He was, we can know who He is.

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A New Day: Comfort in God’s Character, Part 4

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Jason

These two images — God as Mighty Warrior and God as Gentle Shepherd — must be held in balance.

If we picture God merely as the Mighty Warrior without the balancing image of the Gentle Shepherd, we might end up with the mistaken notion that God is an angry God, waiting to zap us the minute we step out of line. We’d probably edge into legalism and fault finding and we’d find ourselves a bit like Jonah, hoping God launches a “shock and awe” campaign against our enemies while we gloat in self-righteousness.

And if we picture God merely as the Gentle Shepherd without the balancing image of the Mighty Warrior, we might end up with the mistaken notion that God is a permissive God who laughs off our misbehavior like a doting grandfather. We’d probably edge toward permissiveness and leniency as in the case of King Saul, thinking God really doesn’t mean what He says.

But when you put these images together as Isaiah does here, you have a complete picture of our God. And this is intended to bring us comfort.

So which image of God do you need to behold today?

Do you need a Mighty Warrior to fight your battles? Do you need a defender? One who is strong when you are weak? Do you need a God who will fight for you?

This is our God. Behold Him today.

Do you need a Gentle Shepherd to hold you closely? Do you need a God of compassion and tenderness? One who will protect you when you feel vulnerable? Do you need a God who will shepherd your soul?

This, too, is our God. Behold Him today.

As it was in the day of Isaiah, let it be shouted from the mountaintops today as well. Behold, your God! He is the mighty God, the One who conquers our enemies and rules over all things. And this same god is the tender shepherd who gathers His sheep to Him and holds them closely. In His arms we find both strength and tenderness. Behold, your God!

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Lord who makes all things new, he who has ears, let him hear.

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A New Day: Comfort in God’s Character, Part 3

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Jason

God as Gentle Shepherd

The picture of the Mighty Warrior is balanced by a second picture: that of God as a gentle shepherd. Isaiah says, He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms. This is a picture of God’s compassion and protection. He holds His people, leads those who are weak. He protects the vulnerable in His flock.

What a comforting thought! Not only is God the mighty warrior, fighting on behalf of His people. He is also a gentle shepherd, tenderly caring for His people. He’s mighty and powerful, but also gentle and compassionate.

Psalm 23 begins with this beautiful line: the Lord is my Shepherd. The shepherd leads His flock, guiding them away from danger and leading them to places of quiet rest. The shepherd makes sure the sheep are nurtured, makes sure they receive the care they need. Of course, Jesus references this idea when he says in John 10:11, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Jesus contrasts a hired hand with a true shepherd; the hired hand cares nothing for the sheep, while the true and good shepherd is focused on caring for those in his flock.

We should note the same thing we said in the previous post: God has not retired from being the shepherd of our souls. He still tends His flock and gathers the lambs in His arms. He feeds you, cares for you, holds you close to His heart.

This is summarized by another comment Isaiah makes about the “arms” of God. Of the Divine Warrior, he says his arm rules for him. But of the Gentle Shepherd, Isaiah says he will gather the lambs in his arms. Picture this: those same arms that are mighty to defeat our enemies are also the tender arms of eternal care and compassion.

Behold, our God is a gentle shepherd.

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A New Day: Comfort in God’s Character, Part 2

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Jason

God as Mighty Warrior

Isaiah says, Behold, the Lord God comes with might and his arm rules for him. The picture here is one of God as a mighty warrior who fights on behalf of His people. It’s similar to the image we find over in Exodus 14:14, The Lord will fight for you. Moses says this to the Israelites when Pharaoh’s army pursued them to the Red Sea. With their backs to the sea and the army of the world’s greatest nation in hot pursuit, Israel was as good as dead. But God proved His strength by delivering His people from the enemy, parting the waters for Israel before vanquishing the enemy warriors. God always makes a way for His people.

After this deliverance, Moses led the people in worship and this is what they sang: The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is His name (Exodus 15:3). They sang this song of victory because praise follows promise. Worship is our response to salvation. That makes worship our most vital activity. It’s more vital than work, than child-rearing, than accruing wealth. Like Israel, we were dead until the warrior God fought for us and brought us back to life. Do I worship like a dead man who has been brought back to life? It’s amazing that I can yawn my way through a story like this on most Sunday mornings. Praise follows promise — because our God is faithful. He fights on behalf of His people.

And Isaiah proclaims the same truth here. The prophet wants the people of his own day to know that God has not gone into retirement. He is still able to defeat His enemies and rescue His people. And this is a good word for us as well. Behold your God, church. He has not gone into retirement. He is still the same mighty warrior He was on the banks of the Red Sea. He will always fight for His people.

“Reward” and “recompense” is the language used to describe the plunder of a conquering army. They would come through and claim the conquered people’s land and livestock and possessions. So the picture here is God bringing with Him the spoils of victory. He is able to conquer the spiritual forces that stand against us. Any sin, any temptation, anything in our past — these are part of His spoils. He is mighty to conquer and bring victory.

All of this is summarized by the mighty arm of God. Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him. Isaiah has more to say about “the arm of the Lord” than any other OT prophet. “His arm rules for him” is a way of saying that God doesn’t need to get help from any other being. He rules by right of His own mighty power.

Behold, our God is a mighty warrior.

Posted in Devotional, Faith, God, Isaiah, Scripture | 2 Comments

A New Day: Comfort in God’s Character, Part 1

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Jason

Juniper Village is a memory-care facility located just outside Denver, Colorado. This week, Juniper Village set up a “hug tent” for their residents, many of whom are not only dealing with memory loss issues but they have not been able to hug their loved ones for almost a year due to COVID restrictions. But that’s where the “hug tent” comes into play. It has clear plastic walls with four sets of arm holes cut into the front wall with plastic sleeves so visitors and residents can embrace one another.

Anita Hanson’s father lives in the Juniper Village facility. Due to COVID guidelines, she has only been able to speak with him through a window or on an electronic device. But this week, Anita was able to hug her father for the first time since last March. She said, “My heart is just swelling with love for him and how much I miss him. Just being able to hold him in my arms. I haven’t been able to hold him in a year.” She went on to say that hugging her father was something she’d never take for granted again.

We often find comfort in the arms of our loved ones. So it should come as no surprise when we find this same idea applied to our relationship with God. In the Bible, we are told that we can find eternal comfort in the arms of our God.

Right now, we’re studying the book of Isaiah as a church family. And last week, we introduced this idea of a “Comfort Trilogy” that can be found in Isaiah 40, which is one of the great comfort chapters in the Bible. In just a few verses, Isaiah gives us three amazing pictures of comfort. We talked about the first one last week: we find comfort in the eternal Word of our God. Isaiah 40:8, The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. There is tremendous comfort to be found in knowing that the Word of God never changes.

Isaiah builds upon this with an additional word of comfort: we can take comfort in the unchanging character of God. God’s Word doesn’t change because God’s character doesn’t change. When the Hebrew writer says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, he’s saying that Jesus is our ultimate example through the ages — which gets back to His character. As much as things change in our world, we can take comfort that God’s character is unchanging.

We’ll pick up right where we left off last week.

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Isaiah 40:9-11

God calls Isaiah to be a “herald of good news” — that phrase is used twice in verse 9. Isaiah is to go up to a high mountain and proclaim a word from God. Based on what we said last week, Isaiah can be confident in this work because he knows that he is proclaiming a word that is eternal.

And this is what he is to say: Behold, your God!

Isaiah reminds the people to look toward God for comfort. He helps them see God’s glorious character. And that’s what this message is all about today. Isaiah calls us to see our God today. When the prophet says, Behold, your God! he is calling us to take comfort in the character of our God. Centuries later, Paul will make the same point when he calls God the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1).

In particular, there are two aspects of God’s character that Isaiah describes:

  1. The Lord God is a mighty warrior. He is powerful and sovereign. He rules in judgment and stands ready to conquer all of His enemies.
  2. The Lord God is a gentle shepherd. He gathers up His lambs, carrying them close to His chest. He is tender and compassionate.

Over the next few posts, I’d like to look at these two images of God — because I believe there is special comfort found in each one.

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