“For thus Yahweh spoke to me with a strong hand…” Isaiah 8:11

Isaiah 8:12 – Do not call conspiracy (7195 – an unlawful alliance; treason; conspiracy) all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear (3372 – to morally revere or to frighten/make afraid; reverence) what they fear (4172 – by implication a fearful thing or deed; something that ought to be feared) or be in dread (6206 – to dread; to be harassed; to shake terribly).

This was God’s warning to Isaiah in light of the coming Assyrian invasion.

He gave Isaiah this message “with His strong hand upon him.”

What a beautiful picture of a father getting close to a son/child in a moment of parenting and encouragement.

Putting his strong hand on their shoulder and letting them feel the weight of his strength as he looks into their eyes.

God the Father put His strong hand on Isaiah and gives a message that is hard to hear. ‘The enemy is coming. But don’t be like the panicked people around you.’

This is my God too. That good Father still gives hard to hear messages that sound unrealistic with His strong hand on my shoulder to remind me of His presence and His strength.

Isaiah 10:24 – “Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts: O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did.”

But why would they NOT be afraid in the middle of being attacked? The Assyrians were nasty and cruel. They are going to do a lot of damage and cause a lot of suffering. That almost feels like a foolish thing to say to someone heading into war.

The one thing I can see is that it’s because no matter what hardship or suffering comes about in those moments, it’s temporary.

From God’s eternal perspective, He wants us to remember that He is present, and He will win in the end. Everything here is temporary.

His plan for us is eternity with Him. The ultimate victory has already been won.

We take away fear’s grip, power and effect on us when we keep an eternal perspective.

That’s why Paul could say “rejoice always” even from a prison cell.

I don’t think God is saying it’s wrong to feel the emotion of fear that comes over us in a dangerous situation or in the face of suffering. But with His strong hand upon us He is telling us we don’t need to be shaken terribly and filled with dread because He is present; He sees the end from the beginning; He has a plan and purpose for our ultimate good; the suffering we experience is temporary.

So, when I feel the dread that comes with grief and facing a future or even a moment I never planned to live through without Zack, I can close my eyes and picture His strong hand on me as He looks me in the eye and says “Don’t be filled with dread. I’m here and I’ve got this. This is temporary. Let’s keep walking forward.”

As you fast forward through the next few chapters of Isaiah, you see flashes of hope.

Chapter 9 tells us about the coming of the Prince of Peace.

The end of chapter 10 tells us how God will defeat the Assyrians.

The coming righteous reign of the branch is found in chapter 11.

No matter what’s going on around us, there are always flashes of hope if we choose to look for them and focus on them.

Whenever Christ is part of our story, there is always hope to grab onto and anchor our soul to. It doesn’t remove the suffering, but it keeps us afloat above the fear, steady in the sea of emotional storms around us.