LifeLink Devotions

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Recent storms and fires have caused multiple deaths and massive destruction. Nature can evoke fear and cause trembling. Yet within hours of the reported tragedies, as pictures and stories are published, people begin coming together to offer help and start the clean-up. Men with chain saws cut fallen trees into manageable chunks. Kids haul branches off the streets. Neighbors search through burned rubble to find people and possessions. Everyone comes together to help their neighbors. That’s what community is all about.

At first glance, the prophet Isaiah seems to make a solid statement on the importance of community.

Isaiah 41:5-7    “The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; ⁶each helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!” The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, “It is good.” He nails down the idol so it will not topple.”

Something has caused the people to fear and tremble. They come together with a plan, they encourage each other, and they work together to bring about a solution. The problem is that they are looking for the answer to their fear from a false God.

Here’s the context of what’s happening. God is informing the people of Israel that He is empowering a new king from the east (verse 2) to be a part of the fulfillment of His plan for Israel. His name was Cyrus, the King of Persia, who overthrew the Babylonians and gave permission to Ezra to take a contingency of people back to Israel to start rebuilding after the captivity. But the nations of the world were scared. They saw the ferocity of the Persians, and they trembled in fear.

They knew they had only one chance – supernatural intervention. So, they started making idols to their false gods. They came together nicely as a community, with a completely erroneous focus. They were putting all their eggs in a rotten basket and the bottom was about to fall out.

That’s when we reach verse eight. God says to the people of Israel, “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

What a contrast. People in fear who put their faith in what their own hands can accomplish versus people in fear who conquer their fear by putting the faith in the One and Only God who eliminates all enemies and gives strength and hope.

The choice is yours.

Pastor John