“In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, Rezin the king of Syria and Pekah the king of Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but could not yet mount an attack against it. When the house of David was told, ‘Syria is in league with Ephraim,’ the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
“And the Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go out to meet Ahaz,… and say to him, “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and [Pekah]. Because Syria, with Ephraim and [Pekah], has devised evil against you, saying, ‘Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,‘ thus says the Lord God:
“‘It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass…
Within sixty-five years
Ephraim will be shattered from being a people….
If you are not firm in faith,
you will not be firm at all.’” Isaiah 7:1-9
“Do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread… To the word and to the testimony!” Isaiah 8:12-13,20
News from the field was disquieting, harrowing, but the message from God through Isaiah met every point with promise. The word that both Syria and Ephraim were in league to destroy Judah set them trembling and darkened Ahaz’s outlook, yet God’s word that it would not come to stand flooded desperation with light, eliciting the quiet and firm faith He commanded. Judah and her king could fret, falter, and faint in fear, or fix themselves in triumphant faith that would grow over the ensuing years.
Word from the field in our day is full of gloomy uncertainty. Military, economic, health, and relational pressures choke and paralyze, hypothetical scenarios threaten to undo any sense of normalcy and calm. Media messages are rife with bad news, dark possibilities, and fear-inducing sound bites.
God’s word reminds us that He is over all things, in control and working His benevolent plans. He who triumphed over the grave is ultimate Victor. He is writing His story of history and will finish all he has begun with mercy and justice. He is far more worthy of our faith than circumstances are of our fear. (Ephesians 4:6; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)
What specific world or personal situations are unsettling us at present? How do these potential and very real threats stand against the Lord’s promises? How do our fussing and fears measure against God’s wisdom, care, and power? How seriously do we take our heavenly Father at His word, and so proceed through dark moments in faith? (Proverbs 29:25; Isaiah 43:19; Matthew 10:28; Romans 8:14-17,31-39)
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.” ~R. Keen (1787)
Lord, help me trust Your promises with hope in Your victory, and so live by faith instead of fear, to Your glory.
As the rain and snow 