'Don't be afraid, for I am with you'

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

-Isaiah 41:10

Fear, discouragement, weakness - we've all had those feelings.

If you've followed the last couple of postings (click here for the first one, here for the second), you'll know that I'm recovering from eye surgery, with the likelihood that I'm going to have one or two more procedures on my left eye.

As mentioned before, the vision in that eye is blurry. Slowly improving, but blurry. That makes it a little slow to write blog postings (please excuse any typos), emails and other computer tasks. So I need words - like those from Isaiah - to bring encouragement and hope.

And I hope these words help in your own struggles.

God is with you - even in the dark places

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

-Psalm 23:4

Ever been in a dark place?

I always associate darkness with my stroke, with a vague recollection of being in a dark room while someone was looking at an image of my brain. I was confused, couldn't speak and couldn't move my right arm or leg.

Dark place indeed.

You likely recognize the verse above from the 23rd Psalm, one of the most often-quoted chapter in the Bible. It begins "The Lord is my shepherd... ." You might be even more familiar with other translations, including the King James version with its famous "valley of the shadow of death" phrase.

Today, though, consider that you have a comforter when you are in the dark. God is with you. You are never alone.

'My strength and my defense'

    I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.

-Isaiah 12:2

Truth be told, I was afraid on May 8, 1998.

But even on that day, God was my strength and my defense. And because of that, I trust God more. Will I ever be afraid again? That's an unanswerable question. I would like to say no - and as I continue building up my faith, I hope to one day give that answer honestly: No.

Everyone has - or will have - a day with threat, a day that could be filled with fear. Here's to all our faith journeys continuing to reach higher and higher levels of trust in God so that fear - like death - can be conquered.

'With him on my side I'm fearless'

Light, space, zest—
    that’s God!
So, with him on my side I’m fearless,
    afraid of no one and nothing.

-Psalm 27:1

Fear can be overwhelming. Fear of the unknown. Or, sometimes even worse, fear of the known.

A few days ago, I was reminded of this verse in Psalm, and especially like the rendering of it in The Message. Afraid, it says, of no one and nothing.

I admit that 16 years ago this month, fear was trying to overwhelm me. But with God's gifts of health professionals, family and friends, fear was defeated.

Will I ever fear again? That's a tall order for anyone. But when fear comes near, I'll take comfort from these words, knowing that God is with me and that God defeats fear. For everyone.

Happy Halloween

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

-Deuteronomy 31:6

Life can be scary - I know.

Today, I take a little comfort in the "scary" Halloween events, people and decorations. You see, it's not scary at all. While we'll see the occasional Halloween Grinch who goes past the fun on this day and night, Halloween is mostly harmless.

But in real life - even when we're confronting the not-so-harmless - it's comforting to know that we don't need to fear. In the verses above, Moses is about to step down after leading God's people for decades. He reassures these people with these words. The words echo still. Be strong. Do not be afraid. God goes with you. He will never leave you.

So this day, with its fake scariness, know that God will never leave you when the real world closes in!

'He delivered me from all my fears'

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

-Psalm 34:4

Fear. Sooner or later, we all face fear. On behalf of a loved one. Our own well-being. The unknown.

This Psalm reminds us that despite all our fears, God can help us move past them. Notice, too, that the writer "sought" God in response to fear.

So seek him. Seek his answer. Know that God is with you despite your fears.