Be Strong Fear Not

“Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:3-6)

We see the beginning line of this passage in a couple of places in scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New. Strengthen (you) the weak hands, and (you) confirm the feeble knees. Both of these are commands. Both of them involve us taking an active part in our own healing and deliverance.

I have in my possession a Messianic Jewish Bible, as well as copies of the Torah. The Messianic Jewish Bible I received as a gift from a friend. When I first looked at it, I didn’t really like it. Not because it often uses the original language or strange words. There was just something different about how it read – how it “felt” as I read it, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it. I placed it aside for quite some time and only used it for a reference or for casual reading. Then one day, after perhaps a couple of years, it dawned on me what was so uncomfortable to me: Jewish scripture very openly stresses OUR part in God’s work in our lives.

I have mentioned it before, but I was raised in church. Even when I went through my rebellious years as an adult, I continued to go to church. In all of my years of sitting under Sunday School teachers and some of the most gifted and anointed pastors you could ask for, I had never heard anyone really “sit” on that aspect of salvation and redemption. Never in forty-plus years had I heard a minister really lay down on the idea that we have an active part. In fact, as we read in our passage, our western Bible, our English Bible actually says that very thing – it’s just that we don’t stress it. I became an adult under the “Let go and let God” period. We were taught to turn everything over to God and simply wait until He answered. He is the all-powerful One, the all-seeing One, the all-knowing One. We would just screw things up if we got involved, so we were to sit back, take our hands off, and let Him work it out. The implication was that He would gift-wrap it for us without any participation on our part.

Now, I know I will probably make some people upset when I say this, but it needs to be said. We are taught that God is a God of love. More especially, of unconditional love. While that may be true, He demands something of us in order to save us, to cleanse us, and to have fellowship with us. For instance, we cannot be saved unless we ask Him to. Plain and simple. There have been (and are) billions of people on the earth. The majority of them think a loving God simply will not send one of His creations to hell forever. They believe that everyone will be saved eventually. Whether that is through a period of cleansing (in Hades or purgatory) or simply because of His unconditional love. The Bible is very clear on this. We must ask for His salvation. If we don’t, we will spend eternity separated from God in a real, true hell. It’s all spelled out quite clearly in the Bible. As far as cleansing us from unrighteousness, it is true He will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness – in that moment in time. However, just like the prostitute that was brought and thrown at His feet by the Pharisees, Jesus tells us to “go and sin no more.” After we have been cleansed and delivered, we cannot go back out and continue to live as we did before, else Jesus’ blood was applied in vain. We must take action to change our lives. WE must. The same goes for fellowship with Him. If we live in chosen and purposeful sin, we have cut ourselves off from His Presence because God cannot look upon sin. He will not be attached to or part of a sinful lifestyle. WE must make changes. Sure we are going to mess up, fall down, or in church-ese we call it backsliding. No child ever learned to walk with the first attempt. That is, perhaps, why we are called babies or children in the Lord at first. Like Paul admonished the early Christians, however, there comes a time when we must grow up, we must develop. And that, dear friends, comes down to us.

Our passage today is prophesying the return of Israel to God and how He will bless them on that day. In this entire chapter (which I encourage you to read), Isaiah is speaking words of hope and encouragement to the people of God – planting a vision in their hearts and minds of the good God has in store for them. If they will repent and return to the Lord. Plain and simple. They must take an active part. Isaiah is also commanding the people to encourage one another – to speak words of comfort, yes, but more importantly, words of strength and valor. That is why I stressed in the first part of this devotional that these are commands. They are commanded to strengthen their weak hands and confirm the feeble knees. These are both commands to make themselves obstinate, determined, hardened, tough, to push through the weakness and pain. They sound like something you would hear weight-lifters say to one another in the gym or long-distance runners challenging each other to go just a bit further. Ah, but it doesn’t stop there. They are further commanded to speak words of faith, not fear. Remind them that God WILL SURELY come to their rescue, and that He will surely save them. Not only that, but He will destroy whomever or whatever is standing in your way.

That is the purpose of my messages I share with you, my friend. Oh, I know I’m not the most dynamic personality you’ve ever listened to, I’m not the most learned, I’m not even the smoothest. But out of my experience with God, out of the lessons He has taught me, I am commanded to share with you. To encourage you. To strengthen you. To call you to hope and faith. To remind you that God WILL SURELY come to your aid. He will give you comfort. He will greatly increase your strength – both spiritually and physically – as you use what you have and apply what you know about Him. You will begin to see great changes in your life because you have become accountable, have taken the challenge, have responded to His commands. That is my mission to you, dear friend. And that is (or will be) your mission to those around you when God rescues you. We are to encourage one another along this road of life, to point each other to Jesus – Who Is, by the way, the Only Way to heaven. We are to give glory to God as we allow Him to shine through in our lives. When we lift Him up, He will draw all men to Him. Some will come, look, and turn away. Others will respond and receive. That is their choice. I trust you have responded to His offer of salvation and grace. If not, this is your time.

Be blessed.