Whoa do we have a great promise to get us started off on this journey!!
I wish I could circle words, draw arrows and make this look like my notebook....maybe one day I will be that smart.
God works in the coolest ways - right before writing this when I was gathering all of our notes, BFF, Bonnie could not find her notes on this verse so she had to study this one again. She must have needed this reassurance this week.
I also asked my daughter in law, Kayla (Momma of Peanut-butter and Jelly) to join us in our studies. She has great Bible wisdom and sees verses differently than I do many times.
We do love to compare versions....just the change of one word can make all the difference in how you see a verse, how you relate to a verse, and how personal it becomes.
The MSG version actually says "Don't panic" and "I'll hold you steady." - How often do we get in a panic or feel like we are on unstable ground?
God will hold me steady just like a child learning to walk.
God gives us assurance of His strength and help.
"Fear not for I am with you." - both a command and a promise!
Don't you love the I am and I will promises of God?! When He says it, He means it and He will do it - He is faithful. He never leaves us and never forsakes us.
God's help is present!
God will carry us through it all!
God's I AM's become our truth!
I am your God - God has established a relationship with us.
I don't know who said this, but I love it....God's strength and glory make Him able to help us. But it is His LOVE that makes Him say "I will help you."
In my NIV Bible that is old and falling apart, the title of chapter 41 is The Helper of Israel. I once heard in a sermon that anywhere you see Israel in the Bible it means us, it means me, it's personal. So I can say about this chapter....The Helper of Leeandra. Ah how much comfort that brings just to make it personal to each of us.
Verse 9 tells us - I have chosen you and have not rejected you. This of course is directed to Israel, but remember, it's also to you.
As we study, we pick words that we want to dig into a bit more and write out the definitions then discuss them. You think you understand what a word means that you have said your entire life, but doing this helps us to see it in a deeper meaning, no matter how simple the word is.
For Isaiah 41:10 we picked these:
Dismayed = to lose courage because of fear.
Strengthen = to make or become stronger; to enable or encourage a person to act more vigorously or effectively.
Help = to make it easier for someone to do something by offering one's services or resources; the action of helping someone do something; assistance.
Chosen = having been selected as the best.
Established = having been in existence for a long time; set up on a firm and permanent basis.
I especially love "help" - I have been saying that word for close to 50 years but now when I say The Helper of Leeandra and look at the very definition, suddenly it's a way bigger word and takes on a deeper meaning when I understand that my Helper is always here with me.
I also really love "chosen".....having been selected as the best. That just has to make you smile and also plant your face on the floor because He chose me even when He knew how despicable I would be and He has stayed with me through it all. His love is so big I just can't wrap my head around it and I can't wait to experience it in full when I get Home!
Here are some "I Am" and "I will" statements Kayla wrote down -
I Am your Father.
I will protect you.
I will never leave you.
I will always be with you.
I will never forsake you.
I will always guide you.
I Am here with you.
I Am the I AM.
I Am your Spirit.
I Am yours.
I Am Love.
I Am your Provider.
I Am the Almighty.
I Am the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
I Am your Home.
I love you!
We need not be afraid or discouraged, The Great I AM is always with us!
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