Hold Me Up, Jesus

 Isaiah 41:9-10 (NLT)

⁹ I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
    saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
    and will not throw you away.
¹⁰ Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

So much encouragement can be found for the children of God in these two verses. First, we see Israel referred to as God's servant. Webster's defines servant as a person employed to perform services. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary points out that Israel had to be preserved because it was God's instrument to perform a task of worldwide importance. The task? It was from their line that Jesus Christ the Messiah would come. We learned a while back that in Christ we too are Abraham's children. Those of us from Gentile decent who are believers in Christ have been grafted into Israel's line. What privilege to be able to serve the ultimate Servant! "He has chosen us," the verse goes on to say. He has called us out of sin's darkness into His marvelous light and He will not throw us away. We have the assurance of knowing that we will not be cast aside as orphans. He has taken us in as His children and we have no need to fear for He is with us...nor should we be discouraged, because He is our God. He will strengthen us and help us. He will support us with His righteous right hand. Verse 10 is one of my favorites. I often cling to it trusting that my Lord steadies me, strengthens me, and helps me. Will you claim this truth in the areas of your life where you are afraid? where you are discouraged? where you are weak and need help? Sometimes, I write out specific needs in my journal and then write over top of the need the verse I am claiming wherein He promises to take care of me. There is no magic in that method, but it helps me to remember that He triumphs over my circumstances. Today, I need to be reminded of these truths! How about you?