Day 121: Isaiah 41:14

"You few people of Israel who are left, do not be afraid even though you are weak as a worm. 'I myself will help you,' says the Lord. 'The one who saves you is the Holy One of Israel.'" ~Isaiah 41:14, NCV

Again, today God is talking about a remnant who are left in Israel, who have many reasons to be afraid. They are, apparently, as weak as a worm. But they don't have to be afraid, because God, the Holy One of Israel is taking care of them.

We might not be a wormy Israel, but we are no strongmen either - take heart though, the Lord himself will help you. He will save you, He says so. Do you believe that? Sometimes it's hard to, when you feel like a worm. But Don't give up. Just don't give up...

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Day 120: Zephaniah 3:13

"This core holy people will not do wrong. They won't lie, won't use words to flatter or seduce. Content with who they are and where they are, unanxious, they'll live at peace." ~Zephaniah 3:13, MSG

God's plan was always to have a people who obeyed Him and loved Him full-heartedly. It seems that His big idea has always been to create a community of people that live together in harmony and better one another. Why else did He design families, clans, tribes, nations? Even the Church at its heart is essentially one giant community - an overgrown family. In the verses leading up to the one above, God is telling Zephaniah how "one day" everyone will "be able to worship the Lord together," and how there will be no one left on Zions hill who speaks haughtily, or rebels against Him.

The remnant on Zion are who God is talking about in this verse. They will be "lowly and humble" v12. The core, this remnant will be pure in God's sight. With God as their Lord, they will have no one to make them afraid. Content with who God made them to be and what He's leading them to do, they will be confident and trusting in God's part in their life.

We are that remnant - God called us to follow His son, and when we accepted Jesus, we agreed to obey God's commands, and to do no more wrongs. Obviously we mess up sometimes, but God promises to forgive us of our sins when we ask for it, and He gives us the power to say no to temptations. When we truly live in God's promise and will, we're aware of who He is, and we're truly confident that no one can come between us and Him.

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Day 119: Judges 3:15

"But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help, the LORD again raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed man of the tribe of Benjamin." ~Judges 3:15a, NLT

After Joshua died, the Israelites went through periods of belief, and then disbelief - they would follow God, then fall away, then come back and follow Him, then fall away. When they fell, God would send them punishment for their sins, usually in the form of occupation and attacks. When it would get too much for the Israelites to bear, they would turn back to God and choose to put their trust in Him, asking Him to save them. And as we can see from the verse above, God raised up rescuers, known today as judges.

Ehud is notable because a) he was a Benjaminite b) he was left handed and c) he saved Israel from the Moabites. Story goes he took the Israelite tribute payment to the king, asked for a moment alone with him, and stabbed the king in the gut until the knife hilt couldn't be seen. (And people say the Bible is boring!) God saved the Israelites from the Moabites.

What can we take from this? Cry out to God and ask for His help to solve your struggles. Go and do His will, and trust that He can use you too to make a difference and save people's lives. He wants to use you, He wants to save you, and as always... He loves you!

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Day 118: Psalm 56:13

"For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life." ~Psalm 56:13, NIV

David, David... he knew his stuff. The "you" in the above sentence is, of course, God. When afraid, we've already established it's good to remember what God has done in the past - be it your past or someone else's. David had a lot of examples from his own past to think of.

God had delivered him from physical death many times - just read 1 and 2 Samuel for some examples. But God also delivered "his feet from stumbling" - God helped David not to sin, so that he could live in God's good promises. Sin separates us from God and all of the courage and confidence that He offers, so to hear that God will help us make the right choices is a very encouraging thought. Be it choosing a college, a place to live, a spouse, God is with us and will help us when we trip up over our own feet.

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Day 117: Jeremiah 23:4

"Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the LORD, have spoken!" ~Jeremiah 23:4, NLT

God often refers to His people as sheep, as the verses leading up to this one show. Metaphorically, the leaders of the people are shepherds, and in Jeremiah's Israel, they had been pretty poor shepherds. But now, God makes a promise to appoint responsible shepherds, so the sheep don't have to be afraid.

"Not a single one will be lost or missing." Can't find your way? Scared? The LORD has spoken, He promises to find you. Believe it, He is the good shepherd, and when you trust Him - when you trust Jesus, you don't ever have to be afraid again.

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Day 116: 2 Samuel 22:3

"My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence." ~2 Samuel 22:3, NLT

2 Samuel chapter 22 describes a song David wrote once he had been saved from his enemies, including Saul. As you probably know, David and Saul had a really rough relationship, and David ended up living for fear of his life whenever Saul was around (and often when he wasn't). David never stopped trusting in God, as many of his psalms show, and this song shows a similar flavor.

The song itself is a testimony of praise to the fact that God saved David - it's a "thank you" for all that God had done, and all who He was. The above verse sums up that second thought nicely, don't you think?

WHO IS GOD?

David saw God as a rock of protection, his shield, power to save him, and a place of safety. Added to that description is an understanding of God as a refuge, David's savior, and the one who saves from violence.

Who is God for you? Sometimes when we're in the heat of the battle, we don't see God as a refuge, or a shield, or one who saves from violence. It's then, when we feel beaten and unable to rise up again, that we have to choose to believe that He is a shield, He is a refuge, He is worthy of praise and thanks! Those choices make us who we are, make us a better person, make us more similar to His image, make us stronger, and further His kingdom. Better than that, it makes those thoughts that we choose to believe true.

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Day 115: Zechariah 8:13

"Just as you, Judah and Israel, have been a curse among the nations, so I will save you, and you will be a blessing. Do not be afraid, but let your hands be strong." ~Zechariah 8:13, NIV

While Israel was still in exile in Babylon, God was giving Zechariah words and visions. God says in the chapter leading up to this verse that He will once again "dwell in Jerusalem" v3 and says He will bring his people back to Jerusalem v8. In verse 9, the subject changes, and God is describing how the Temple will be rebuilt. Verse 12 and 13 are the culmination of His promises to Israel concerning this.

God promises to give good things to "the remnant of Israel" v12. Then He proclaims the above message of hope: "Even though you've been utterly humiliated, I will save you and turn your situation around. It's going to take some effort on your behalf, but take courage, work hard, it'll pay off in the end!" (paraphrased) We can take the same advice, and start cracking at our challenges.

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