I Will Trust and Not Be Afraid
I Will Trust and Not Be Afraid
“I will trust and not be afraid.” These words from Isaiah 12 are a promise from God that He brought to my heart in the middle of the night recently and it gave me peace in the moment. Truth is, God has used it over the last three weeks to encourage my heart in many of what you might call midnight moments.
Let me explain. On December 14th I was tested for COVID-19 and on that Wednesday, it came back positive. It hit my whole family as my wife and daughter also came down with it. For me, the first few days, I was not too sick, but Courtney and Mikalyn got real sick real quick. It was one of those nights when they were so sick that God reminded me of this passage, especially verse 2. There is power in God’s word and this passage speaks to my fears and fills me with hope!
Take a moment and read it for yourself and pay close attention to verse 2!
The Lord Is My Strength and My Song
12 You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 “Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
His word comforted my soul. Then, as the week progressed, they got better but I got worse. Monday night December 21st I took a major turn, and I was not in a good place at all. As I struggled in so many ways that night, once again fear gripped my soul. Yet again, verse 2 came flooding into my heart and God reminded me that I must trust in Him and not be afraid!!
The next morning under the guidance of my doctor I made my way to the NEGMC and went to the ER. All morning, I thought of verse 2 and God gave me peace to face whatever was in front of me.
I will trust and not be afraid.
I came into the ER with dangerously low oxygen and by God’s grace there was no one in line that morning and the front nurse moved with lightning speed and within 15 minutes of being there I had 4 nurses and a doctor working on me. It was a tough few day I will just say that. But again, I kept saying to myself....
I will trust and not be afraid.
These verses were a sustaining force in seeking to remain positive and hopeful. I was in total isolation for 6 days and missed Christmas Eve and Christmas with my family. In some of those lonely dark times, this passage, the promise of God, ministered to my soul. Even now, as I am home and seeking to recover, God continues to use Isaiah 12 to speak peace to my soul and hope to my heart!
I will trust and not be afraid.
I share my story in hopes of encouraging you that are reading today. Fear is real. Fear is a response built into our DNA. Yes, to keep us from danger and know when to fight or flight. If so, why then are we told to not be afraid. Because God knows we as humans we let fear paralyzed us and we live in fear.
I get it, I do. I felt it all. Right now, with more spikes, the election, world unrest, it all can bring fear, and listen, it happens to us all. Fear is going to come, its what we do with our fears. As this passage tells us, we must trust God.
I will trust and not be afraid.
We can place our fears in His almighty hands and not be afraid. The verses remind us, we can trust Him. He is our salvation, our song, and our strength! He is present, powerful, and personal. He is able to handle whatever we are facing or will face.
I want to pause again and just say thank you for anyone of you who prayed for me and my family and who continue to pray for us. I am so humbled. I love you all and know that I am praying for you to boldly say.....
I will trust and not be afraid!
Pastor Michael