Held in the hand of God
Much of what we read in the Old
Testament seems dated and irrelevant to our day and age and culture. Hand carved gold-laden idols seem distant to
our sense of religious right and wrong.
But fear, anxiety, guilt,
hopelessness……these are timeless.
The main point of Isaiah
41:1-20 is that the people of God should not be a fearful people. We should not be a people who are anxious or
troubled or worried or fretful about things that threaten us. Economic adversity, hostile people, satanic
opposition, guilt-laden consciences, deteriorating health, not even death can
undo us when are resting in the truth that we are constantly being held in the
hand of God. The mark of God's people is
not panic, but peace; not fretfulness, but faith; not incapacitating fear, but
rather humble courageous confidence in God.
So here is the question we’ve heard before in our journey through
Isaiah: In whom will you trust – man-made gods and the people who made them, or
the sovereign God who created you (v20), cares for you (v170, helps you (v13),
and personally holds you in his strong grip of grace (v10)?
All you worms rejoice!
Most of us
are probably not comfortable being called a "worm"? (Isaiah
41:14) Satan’s man-centered gospel of
limitless self-esteem and self-help makes us believe we are too valuable to be
called worms (Is 41:14). This gospel of self-help ultimately cannot and will
not heal or help. It will only deceive
us and then drop us to be crushed under the very burdens we desperately need
help with or burned up by the heat of our trials. To the one who does not see
his desperate need there is nothing amazing about grace. C.S. Lewis said, “When
a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is
still left in him. When a man is getting
worse he understands his own badness less and less.” (Mere Christianity)
Turtles and worms
When I’m
riding down the road in my truck, or even on my bike, if I see a turtle in the
middle of the road I try to stop and move it out of the way of danger. Believe it or not, I try to do the same thing
when I see a worm struggling on the sidewalk.
(I guess its because my wife has educated me on their eco-value!) Those poor helpless creatures are doomed to be
squashed or scorched without someone’s help.
I’m thankful
God does that for “worms” - for wretched sinners like me.
As you
prepare for worship consider this: we
all know and cherish the words “amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a
wretch like me”. Only when we recognize
our desperate condition apart from God will we cherish the grace that draws us
and reconciles us back to God. Only when
we cherish the grace that draws us and reconciles us back to God will we
worship with the sense of awe and thankfulness.
In out sermon text this week we
hear God say, “……fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I
will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Is 41:10) What we read in
God’s word we will sing back to Him in songs of worship. How thankful I am “He Will Hold Me
Fast”!
“When I fear my
faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter
would prevail, He will hold me fast.
I could never
keep my hold through life’s fearful path;
For my love is
often cold, He must hold me fast.
Chorus:
He will hold me
fast, He will hold me fast;
For my Savior
loves me so, He will hold me fast.
Those He saves
are His delight, Christ will hold me fast;
Precious in His
holy sight, He will hold me fast.
He’ll not let my
soul be lost, His promises shall last;
Bought by Him at
such a cost, He will hold me fast.
Chorus
For my life He
bled and died, Christ will hold me fast;
Justice has been
satisfied, He will hold me fast.
Raised with Him
to endless life, He will hold me fast;
Till our faith is
turned to sight when he comes at last.
Chorus
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