“Do not fear, for you shall not be ashamed nor be humiliated; for you shall not be put to shame…”

— Isaiah 54:4

We all have to grapple with the fear of failure which immobilizes so many of us. I am sure there is not a person alive who has not had to wrestle in some dark night with that archfiend, the fear of failure. How many of us have started out and gone but a little way, until we felt the icy fingers of fear gripping our hearts and turning our blood to cold, jellied soup? The poet put it like this:

Lord, I’m afraid of ridicule.
So many things I’d like to attempt
But failure invites embarrassment.
Have you a promise for sensitive souls?

Does it sometimes seem to you that the whole world is against you? Why do the cosmic forces seem to be pressing against you? If you have ever felt that way, you have known the dread, the fear, the anxiety that has given rise to all the primitive religions of this world. Many of these religions were established because men thought the universe and the cosmic forces of the world were arrayed against them. Consequently, they created gods that they imagine live within the forces of thunder and lightning, tree and river, snake and alligator, and they have tried to propitiate them.

But thankfully the God of the universe, who has revealed Himself in Christ, tells us to not fear, nor be ashamed. Regardless of how we feel at the moment, we can be confident, knowing that God is at work in our lives. Let faith replace fear.

Lord, thank You for what You said through Your servant Isaiah, “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed.” Give us strength today to bring our fears to You. When we are afraid, let us trust in You…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE ARE
NOT BOUND BY OUR FEARS.