“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand…. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the One who helps you.”
~ Isaiah 41:10;13
Perhaps you are like me, when things get hard, your first reaction is to buckle down, grit your teeth and fix it. Whatever the situation may be, you foolishly think, “I got this, I don’t need help!” Or perhaps you are the opposite and when life gets hard and you crumble wondering how will you ever survive this, thinking, “What will I do?“. Where one is over-confident, the other has no confidence in themselves and both lead to stress and weariness, but the good news of the Gospel is that there is help and strength for both.
The Lord has been reminding me lately, over and over in His Word that He is in control of everything, and He gives strength to those who are weak. It is through mediating on His Word and on His promises that I have found myself less stressed lately. I know this isn’t a mind-blowing idea, but perhaps like me, we are prone to forget this, and life happens and we tense up or we crumble before running to the One who holds everything in His hand, to the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10).
Because of Christ is in us, we are free: from stress, from anxiety, free to run to Him for peace, hope and strength.
Both the over-confident and the one with no confidence find strength at the foot of Christ!
Recent reminders from His Word I have read:
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with their whole heart
~ Psalm 119:2
Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You have established the earth and it stands fast
~ Psalm 119:90
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path
~ Psalm 119:105
In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me
~ Psalm 120:1
I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
~ Psalm 121:1
I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears
~ Isaiah 38:5b
To You I lift up my eyes, O You who are enthroned in the heavens
~ Psalm 123:1
Our Help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth
~ Psalm 124:8
These are some of the promises the Lord has been showing me lately, reminding me simply of who He is, and who I am. When we properly see Him, we can find rest and strength that only comes from Him.
“Remember, it is not your weakness that will get in the way of God’s working through you, but your delusions of strength. His strength is made perfect in our weakness! Point to His strength by being willing to admit your weakness.”
~ Paul David Tripp, Pastor
Nick Elizondo 