Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ – Isaiah 41:10 NKJV. 

But those who wait on 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 NKJV. 

I have never been on the battlefield as a soldier, but I have been on the battlefield of life. Working in the oilfield facing difficult situations I knew where to turn when the situation looked impossible. I turned to the Lord. In my inspection unit cab, I kept a plaque which said, “The Lord Never Panics!” The Lord never failed to deliver me! 

In 1982, when the oilfield suddenly died with businesses going bankrupt, and my own little oilfield inspection business, no longer had any business, I knew where to turn! I turned to God to lead me through another difficult time in my life. The Lord did not fail me! 

As a parole officer walking into many dangerous situations my prayer every day was for God’s protection and the Lord did not fail me! 

As a pastor, during times of stress because of ministering to hurting people, I have often cried out to the Lord for help. I needed help to give comfort and peace to those who had such emotional pain. The Lord has never failed me! 

The world is in such turmoil today as we have had two years of the pandemic, and now there is a war that threatens to spread far beyond Ukraine. During this stressful time the temptation is for us to seek help, to seek safety from others and from other things and to leave God out of the equation. 

These two verses in Isaiah are a reminder of our need for God. God has the power to hold you together during the most difficult of times. He has the power to change the impossible into the possible. He has the power to heal, to protect, and to renew your strength.   

F. B. Meyer in his commentary says this about these verses (and I have updated the language): 

“Now, troubled soul, look unto these words. They are spoken by one who cannot lie, and spoken for you. They are as much meant for you as though they had never been claimed by another; and God is prepared to fulfill them in your life to the brim. He is with you at this moment, while you are pondering these words. He is your God, and will never act unworthily of your trust. 

Where you are weakest and most easily overcome, He will strengthen you. Where you need help, He will give His, so that your difficult task shall be easily mastered. And when you are too weary to walk; when no more strength remains in you; where you are sinking on the battlefield or the steep hill – He will uphold you. Do you doubt? Behold at his right hand, Jesus sits, your Lover and Savior.”