Peace in The Hollow of His Hand This Christmas

“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!”
 
                If we were to take a short survey of things people fear, we would most likely find out that many of us are in good company. There is the “fear of being alone,” the “fear of rejection,” the “fear of running out” (not making ends meet), the “fear of complete exhaustion,” the “the fear of unmet expectations,” the “fear of failure,” and the list goes on. Most of these originate in the “fear of man” rather than a healthy “fear of” or “awe” and reverence for God with respect to every area of our lives. Without that proper perspective, the prophet Isaiah writes, we can become easily “dismayed” literally meaning to become disoriented, discouraged, worried, to lose courage, or to become alarmed with fear. If unhealthy fear becomes a driving force in our lives then we’re more susceptible to becoming paralyzed and imprisoned by it, missing out on opportunities to experience the hope-filled life God has planned for us. There are many things of this life that can cause us to “shrink back,” to not “take the risk of letting go” such as the loss of loved ones, broken relationships, tragedy, illness, pain, hardships, past hurts, struggles with shame and the shear feeling of brokenness. Any of these single circumstances or even a combination of more, can move us to a place in which we “fear that things will never be the same again,” or “fear that things will never get any better,” thus causing us to lose hope. 
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           Isaiah says the Lord has a different message for anyone walking in any degree of doubt and fear during this Christmas season: “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 very Creator of the universe, the ONE who fashioned you and I with His very hands – sent His one and only Son, Jesus, unto us to redeem us by His death on The Cross. In our times of weakness, discouragement, or disillusionment, He will strengthen us in hope by and through His promises. Therefore, we have nothing to fear that this world has to offer. God holds us in the very Hollow of His Hand, and nothing (regardless of how devastating or difficult it may seem) is ever allowed to touch our lives without first being sifted through His fingers like sand through a sieve. The Lord says, “I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand!” And what a mighty hand it is to behold as we set our gaze upon Him and reach out for Him to take hold of us. He is most often waiting on us to simply let go and fall back into the Hollow of His Hand.
 
Connecting Faith & Life:
 
                Father, thank You for the true hope and peace only You can provide through Your Son, Jesus, our Savior. Thank You for the promise that we need not fear or be dismayed, for You are our Mighty God – the Creator of the universe. You are our ultimate source of strength and ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). What a comfort it is to know that You hold our very lives in the palm of Your loving, righteous hand. May You strengthen us with Your promises and through the power of Your Spirit within us to overcome any type of fear in our lives as we surrender to Your will. Thank you, Lord, for sending Your Son, Jesus into this world in order to save us and make us right with You, therefore, we need not fear. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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