UPHOLD

verb: to give support to, to lift up, to sustain

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.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV

God knows us so well.

He knows that one of the emotions we struggle with much of the time is fear. Sleepless nights, bouts of high anxiety, and even panic attacks are happening more and more to the people I love.

When we are in the grip of fear, he reassures us in this promise that HE IS WITH US. That helps. So much.

But dismayed? What exactly does that feel like?

The definition I found for dismayed sounds a lot like fear: experiencing feelings of alarmed concern; worried, upset, agitated.

But then there’s more in the thesaurus: discouraged, disheartened, unsettled, and daunted. To dismay means to lessen the courage or confidence of.

Less courage? Less confidence?

That happens in my heart pretty much every day. I doubt myself. I worry about people, about the future, about things I have no control over. I question my decisions. I run out of energy. I get overly critical and insecure. I start to lose my “brave.”  

But God promises, “I will strengthen you.”

He will give us his energy–the stamina to keep going, to counter the negative, to keep trying to do the best we can even when it’s hard.

And God promises us, “I will help you.”

He will protect us, he will provide what we need, he will bring healing and newness, and he will give us comfort. He will help us in exactly the ways we need it, and he will never leave our side.

And then he promises this: “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Not only will he give us strength and help, but he will continue to HOLD US UP.

When we feel like the rug has been pulled out from underneath us, he will give us a solid place to stand.

When we feel like we can’t see anything good ahead of us, he will put us on his shoulders and let us get a glimpse of hope.

When we feel buried by too much pressure, too much negative, too much stress; he will reach under the pile of stress and pull us close to him.

He will be our foundation, our defender, and our scaffold.

And when we don’t have any of our own left, he will give us his brave.

INVITE HIM IN

Will you trust him to hold you up? His hand is so close, so easy to grab ahold of. If you will just reach out yours, he will do the hard part. He will secure you. He will lift you up and out. And he will keep you–holding you tight as you walk through the stuff that’s making you feel afraid. Let him be your help and strength today.