THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
ISAIAH 41:10
INTRODUCTION
The Christian must conclude that God is real. Along with that conclusion
God is in control. Those two conclusions are easy when everything is
going your way. No problem praising God when I got a promotion. No
problem when the family is well. No problem when bills are paid. No
problem when I can go buy what I want.
Is it easy when you lose a job? Is it easy when problems show up that you
can't handle? Is it easy when tragedy strikes in my family?
Do you ever have any doubt about the God you serve? Where is my God
when I am in a storm? How do I explain my grief when a family member
dies unexpectedly?
If God is in control how do I explain the storms that start on the west coast
of the US and rage to the east coast, flooding homes and killing
scores of people in its path? How do I explain multiple storms in rapid
succession doing the same damage over and over again?
If God answers prayers, how do I explain my declining health? How do I
explain the pain in my body day and night that no pill, no doctor can
find relief? Why has God left me in this condition? If God answers prayers
there has got to be a reason He has not answered mind. What's wrong with me
that God neglects my prayers?
Has anybody ever been there?
If I am questioning God, there is doubt. If there is doubt. Am I saying God is not
good all the time? When storms show up in my life is He still in control?
James 1:6 says if you doubt, don’t expect anything from God. James leaves
no room for doubt. The Apostle James leaves only room for God's providence.
James leaves room for God's way of doing things.
When the Hebrew boys were facing death in the fiery furnace for defying the
king's orders. They said the God we serve can save us. Then they said if God doesn't save us, we will still serve Him (Daniel 3:16)
All we need to know is that God is in control of everything, and if He doesn’t
answer our prayers the way we want, He has a better plan.
Before I lost my mother, I prayed. Before I lost my father, I prayed. Before I
lost my first wife, I prayed. But God had a better plan. We must have faith that God
knows our situation and works in His time and His way to take care of us. God
is not on your schedule
Our text is what God said to the Israelites 100 years before they faced tough times. It
is what God said would happen if they continued to reject Him and serve idol gods.
It is a prophecy looking back from the future of what God would do for Israel after 70 years in Babylonian captivity
Jerusalem would be destroyed 100 years later and after 70 years of slavery
God would restore them. Slavery would happen because of the nation's disobedience and worship of the Idol God.
Isaiah 41:10-11
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Did your mother ever tell you that she was going to punish you if you were
disobedient? She told you in advance, you did it anyway and she beat you
behind. That’s what God was doing for Israel in this text.
WARNING, THE DISOBEDIENCE, THE PUNISHMENT, YOUR WHY ME LORD
The God we serve knows what you are going to do before you do it and
knows what your punishment will be. But He loves you enough to restore you
to a right relationship with Him.
Can you look at the situation you are in NOW, then look back and see how disobedient,
how sinful you were in the past? Maybe God is punishing you for your past.
What God may be saying to you, I know you have been bad. I know you are trying to
do the right thing. But my plan for you is punishment to draw you to me, so
I can bless you. God’s got a job for you, but until you get foolishness out of your
system, He can’t use you
Isaiah 41:10
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
1. I am with you Do not fear
I have not given you the spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind
2 Timothy 1:7
God is saying I got this. Just hold on
Hold on means, don’t you try to fix the situation. Don’t make make
plans. God’s plan is better than yours.
You have to operate in faith that God is with you, for you and got your back.
So what should you do?
Keep doing the right things
Pray without ceasing
2. Do not be dismayed for I am your God
Dismayed means to be broken, stressed out, anxious
In other words, be at peace. Don't accept the situation
Don’t be blinded by the situation, where you can’t see God working
All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called
according to His purposes Romans 8:28
When God is on your side, He is more than the whole world against you
God sees the end from the beginning. You only see now.
.
3. I will strengthen you.
If God is on your side, why do you need to be strengthened?
Help my unbelief. I am dealing with some faith issues. I see the
situation, but I can't see the outcome.
I know what I am praying for. But I don't how it will work out.
I need the patience to wait on God’s timing
I need hope that surpasses all understanding.
I need the solid faith of a mustard seed
I need the resolve to stand on God’s Word
4. I will help you
God is your present Help
He is omnipresent. He is everywhere all the time
He loves you so much that you can’t get away from Him
God is omnipotent. He has all the power. Not some power, but all power.
There is nothing that you are going through that He is not ready to help
you with.
Our job is to call on God for everything. God is so aware of your present
conditions that He numbers the hairs on your head
Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows
There are millions of birds in the sky and none die without God’s knowledge.
You are God’s primary inhabitant of the world. You are the reason He made
the world. He didn’t need a world for Himself.
God took time to design you out of the dust of the earth. Everything else in God's creation was spoken into existence.
If God counts the hairs on my head, He certainly knows every care and need of mine.
God has an intimate relationship with you.
God is the wind underneath the birds in the sky. He is the power that wakes you
up in the morning. Why would an all-powerful God wake you up to let you fail?
God said, I will help you. That is a complete statement. There is no if, there is
no and. There is only His help. That being the case, we must not hesitate to ask
for His help. You cannot breathe the air He controls in the atmosphere without
His help. Has anybody ever seen AIR? It is here, it is everywhere. You look
at it, but you can’t see air.
You are looking at God, but you can’t see Him. You can see His glory
The evidence of God’s presence is what you see all around you.
God is here and everywhere around you. God is so close to you that He is
inside your mind, body, and soul. He indwells you. Before you hurt, God
knows the hurt.
I WILL HELP YOU, God said. Sometimes he helps to let you hurt so
you can call on Him. God will let the believer know He exists. He gives you
access to Himself for your help.
Sometimes God increases your hurt. Sometimes God prolongs your hurt.
WHY? So you want to take HIM for granted. I believe God gives you
different kinds of hurts to increase your testimony about Him.
I WILL HELP YOU GOD SAID.
5. I WILL UP HOLD YOU God said.
Not only will God help you, but He will keep you from falling.
What does that mean when I am in a storm? What does that mean
when everything you can see is going wrong?
It means He will carry you through the storm. People have survived
tornadoes and high winds because God was controlling the storm with
you in the midst of it.
Psalms 18:12-13
12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
God upholds you in the storm. He will help you rebuild what you lost
during the storm. Since you survived the storm, it's not time for gloom and doom,
it is Hallelujah time. It is Praise God time
Notice what God said; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
God has two hands. He got the left hand of wrath and the right hand of
grace. Notice He said; HIS RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND. Nothing but
your good come out of His right hand.
Well you ask, God why did you let this happen to me? Because His plan is
better than your plan
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