10 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.’
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Is 41:10.
The word “dismayed” gives us a picture of fear but, not just normal fear. It’s the kind of fear that zaps your strength, almost immobilizing us. But God says “be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strenghthen you”.
I love the picture of a family tying things down in preparation for an approaching hurricane. When the hurricane has passed and the family inspects the damage, what they find is disheartening. The thing they tied down is gone and the thing they tied it to is gone as well. They used the strongest thing they could think of but it was not enough.
God says that He will strenghten us. And unlike the strongest object we can think of He will not blow away or give way in times of stress and pressure. He is constant. He is immovable. He does not bend.
What does that look like in our lives? When confronted with the bullies of life such as financial debt, troubled relationships, consequences of bad decisions, job anxiety, etc., we can pray to our heavenly Father to deal with it in His way. Submit to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and be obedient in His direction. Put it in His control because he can conquer anything. There is strength in knowing that He is capable and willing and it brings Him glory when we praise Him in victory.