Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
God cares for us…all of us. Those who call upon His name, the very Word of God made flesh, allow Him access to their lives. In faith we unleash the amazing grace that allows Holy Spirit to guide and direct us into the love of the Father that exceeds all of our expectations. In faith there is justice, forgiveness and it is not in our goodness but in the righteousness of Jesus that we are safe and protected. Never question His power to do what we cannot. You will know those that place their faith in Him alone by the fruit of Holy Spirit that is evident in their lives, not in their words., but in their actions. Love will govern all we do in the peace that only God can give us. He takes out the hardened heart that wants to marginalize others and replaces it with His heart of compassion and love. God’s love brought Jesus to this earth, not to condemn the world, but that through Him it could be saved. Carla
Isaiah 41:10-11
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.’
11“Behold, all those who were incensed against you
Shall be ashamed and disgraced;
They shall be as nothing,
And those who strive with you shall perish. (NKJV)
The Lord’s command to the Israelites to fear not contrasts with the fright of pagans in verses 5, 6. God had bared His right hand at the first Exodus in order to destroy the power of Pharaoh (Exodus 15:6): the phrase indicates His sovereignty and strength over all who oppose Him (40:10). The people of God are given renewed assurance that their formidable enemies will be brought to nothing (40:17, 23). The NKJV Study Bible.
God Himself now offers comfort and reassurance, similar to that proclaimed in Isaiah 40:31.
The right hand of is symbolic of His power and authority.
Being at the right hand of a leader symbolized the power and authority of that leader. The New Testament depicts the disciples James and John asking for the honor of being at Jesus’ right and left hand in His glory (Mark 10:37–40). Placing Jesus at the right hand of God is another frequent way the New Testament asserts His unique authority.
They have nothing to fear from human power—it is nothing compared to divine power. Faithlife Study Bible
Isaiah 41:13–14
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.
“Fear not, you worm Jacob,
You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD
And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 45:24
He shall say,
‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength.
To Him men shall come,
And all shall be ashamed
Who are incensed against Him.
Isaiah 43:5
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
Exodus 23:22
But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
Empathy matters
In a world where power, and dominance, hold sway, where the vulnerable and disadvantaged, and soft-hearted, are denigrated, and vilified, there are some days while reading the stories, I need to stop, let the tears fall, and pick up the pieces of my heart.
It all revisited, after seeing the Ramaswamy ad which weaponized a story about abused children.
From the time I was a young boy, the meanness and cruelty of bullies pained (and distressed) me. At my core. I still have memories, watching bullies demean, and “beat up”, the “unmanly” boys in our school.
And as a boy, watching bullies demean, and “beat up” the vulnerable—other boys, who were my friends—I would regretfully, turn a blind eye. I can’t, and will not, do that anymore.
Here’s the deal:
Empathy matters.
Compassion matters.
And community backbone matters.
And I can hear my hero’s voice.
“We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility,” Mr. Rogers tells us. “It's easy to say, ‘It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes… When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
This does my heart good. To be rejuvenated by the ripples from people and places where joy and kindness and empathy and small gestures of grace spill. “The Grace we seek but have forgotten.”
There is power here, to remind us that our heart still absorbs and spills goodness. So necessary in a world that feels more and more cynical.
“Be soft,” Kurt Vonnegut invites us. “Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.”
Sabbath Moments
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