Isaiah 41:13-20
I am the LORD, your God,
who grasp your right hand;
It is I who say to you, "Fear not,
I will help you."
Fear not, O worm Jacob,
O maggot Israel;
I will help you, says the LORD;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
I will make of you a threshing sledge,
sharp, new, and double-edged,
To thresh the mountains and crush them,
to make the hills like chaff.
When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off
and the storm shall scatter them.
But you shall rejoice in the LORD,
and glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
I will open up rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the broad valleys;
I will turn the desert into a marshland,
and the dry ground into springs of water.
I will plant in the desert the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive;
I will set in the wasteland the cypress,
together with the plane tree and the pine,
That all may see and know,
observe and understand,
That the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is for the wellness of those who are sick at this time.
"Fear not, I will help you."
We are fearful of so many things. If only we could trust in God's abundance, we would be fine. If only we could trust in God's love, we would be okay. If only we could trust in God, we would be obedient. We wouldn't need to fear.
Taking a look at my life right now, I truly believe that I have become a more fearful creature because I have noticed how much I need to try to control situations. Suddenly, when things don't go the way I expect them to, it is no longer a matter of trusting in God's grace, but disappointment in things not going my way.
Quick story:
I was in Las Vegas this weekend, and as I was leaving Las Vegas, I had an hour to get to the airport. While on the freeway, we had a choice to take the freeway south or north. We chose north, and after a few minutes thought that it was the way so we got off on an off-ramp to turn around. When we got off, there was a motorcycle rally that was going on... and it kept going on. After waiting for 10 minutes, we decided to go a different route. We got back on the freeway, only to turn around again. I arrived at the airport with 25 minutes before my flight's departure.
At the airport, I went to the check-in screen, only to realize that I didn't have my wallet with me, so I ran through the airport, desperately trying to find my wallet. I called my dad to ask him if my wallet was there, and it wasn't. So, I ran outside, and I saw it lying in the middle of the road in the loading/unloading area. Nobody, in the time I was gone, felt the need to steal it.
A lot of other things happened along the way, but in the end, it was myself and one other person at the gate. Apparently, all the stand-by passengers have already been called. The man who was next to me didn't hear the call for stand-by passengers because he was at the bar. The woman who took my ticket noticed that I had a reserved ticket and told her co-worker that there is only one seat left, and I was getting that seat.
As I was leaving, I had a lot of time to contemplate the things I fear. I contemplated the fact that there will be many things that won't go the way I expect them to, but in the end, I'll make my flight.
"Fear not, I will help you."
Take care and God Bless.
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