God is a loving God, always with us, never away. He helps us in our time of need. Invisible, Almighty God carries us.
“For I am the LORD your God,
who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you,
“Do not fear,
I will help you.”
– Isaiah 41:13
Whatever comes our way – whatever the threat, whatever the sickness, whatever the evil, whatever the burden… (poverty, joblessness, hatred, unkindness, rejection, loneliness, pain, sorrow, persecution), Jesus gives us peace to be able to bear it. We need not succumb to fear. Jesus will give us strength to bear it, as he says:
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]
Fearful things will often be pounding at our heart’s door, trying to make us be worried or be afraid. But, to that, Jesus says you are of great worth to Me; do not be afraid in times of trouble:
Luke 12:6-7
Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? Yet not one of them has [ever] been forgotten in the presence of God. 7 Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are far more valuable than many sparrows.
John 14:1
“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.
Do not be afraid, nor discouraged, nor disappointed, spiritless – because our troubles are a “momentary, light distress“, a test of our faith, a “passing trouble”: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not become discouraged [spiritless, disappointed, or afraid]. Though our outer self is [progressively] wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]! 18 So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are visible are temporal [just brief and fleeting], but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.
A perspective with eternal values in view – helps during difficult times (2 Corinthians 5). What seems like it will be forever, what seems to be unbearable… is actually a “momentary, light distress” (vs.16) when we give it all to God and trust His will for us. Don’t give up, but fully trust in God.
As believers, we can simply turn to God in our times of need. We need not fear, for God is with us. He has promised to be with us through it all. (2 Timothy 1:7; Romans 8:15)
A common prayer I hear quite frequently is, “Lord be with us….” Actually, however, there is no need to ask God to “be with us”, because he already is! (It’s like asking your dad, as he is right there seated at the head of the table, “Dad, please be with us as we eat.” What sense does that make!? He’s already there.)
Our prayer should be something like, “Thank you God that you are here with us.” God resides inside our soul – right? He is always “with us” – whether skiing on the mountain, or really sick in bed. As believers, the Holy Spirit, God Himself, infilled us when we first said yes to Him. So He is always with us. Thank Him.
He has said He will never leave us nor forsake us – – for any reason. Sin cannot remove His Spirit from within us – nor can sickness. Nothing can. That is a promise (…a promise made to followers of Christ).
Hebrews 13:5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
Here it is again in the Amplified version, where the nuanced meanings of the original text are stated in our language:
Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”
Let’s read that last part again, where God says to us:
“I will never
[under any circumstances]
desert you
[nor give you up
nor leave you without support,
nor will I in any degree
leave you helpless],
nor will I forsake
or let you down
or relax My hold on you
[assuredly not]!”
– Hebrews 13:5
Amplified Bible (AMP)
God has us in His Hands. He has a plan for our life. Even if we are to die: “He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and will present us [along] with you in His presence.” – 2 Corinthians 4:verse 14. Jesus said He was going to be preparing a place for us in His Kingdom. (John 14:1-6) Imagine instantly being right there with Him. (1 Corinthians 15:42-54)
No matter what our need may be – the Lord our Savior will always be with us. We may be in need somehow, we may be sick somehow, really hurting somehow – but God is with us through it all. He cares.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Keep and protect me,
O God,
for in You
I have placed my trust and found refuge.
Psalm 16:1
FOR MORE:
Jesus knows your thoughts (pray to Him inside your mind – because He hears you)
Why all my pain and sorrow, my sickness and worries?
Rely on the Spirit of God in you
Are you ready, steady and able?
Heaven will be awe-ful and awe-some
Entrance granted into the eternal
Should you forgive even though no confession is made?
Synopsis of Romans 8:35-39: (Read the entire chapter for more depth.)
“Who shall ever separate us from the love of Christ?
… in all these things we are more than conquerors
… neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
… nor things present and threatening,
… nor things to come,
… nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth,
… nor any other created thing,
will be able to separate us from the [unlimited] love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
– Source: Not by strength – by God!
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