“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy
God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee: yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”—ISA. xli. 10.
WHEN we observe how frequently God says to us “Fear not,” we may be quite
sure that there is a great deal in common life to occasion fear. The
frequent recurrence of the exhortation in all parts of Scripture teaches
us, that through the whole range of Scriptural history there had been
that all around God’s people which, without the Lord’s help, must have
been sure to make the heart afraid.
You will observe in our text that He does not bid us fear not because He
undertakes to remove all danger. What He says is, that when things arise
that may justly alarm us, we need not fear. “Fear not, _for_ I am with
thee,” (observe the “_for_”). If fear is to be really overcome, it must
be by the eye being kept fixed on God and His promises.
This verse contains two assurances and three promises; assurances of what
He is to us now, and promises of what He undertakes to do for us.