GOOD NEWS!

"I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee" (Isaiah 41:13).

My students often complain that Isaiah is too difficult to understand. I agree that in some places it takes a lot of study and prayer to comprehend his meaning. But I encourage them not to let the difficult passages keep them from the love, comfort, and joy that are very clear in Isaiah.

We've had a very difficult week here. My daughter who went through in-vitro for the third time, was told the process had worked and that she was pregnant with twins, but this week she miscarried. She was devastated. As I called to tell her sisters and brother what had happened, I found out that one who had been training for a marathon had a stress fracture in her tibia and that several others were facing difficult problems. By the end of that day, I could barely function physically because the emotion had sapped my strength.

But as the week wore on, I felt the Lord's hand take mine and comfort me. But there is something more than just the offer of help in this verse. The right hand is symbolically the covenant hand. So besides a promise of comfort this verse is a statement that there is an extra promise for those of the covenant. The covenants have power and force. They are sure. They bind us to God in such a way that if we hold fast to them, they lift us from the pain and suffering of life. They bind us to God in such a way that nothing but sin can alter or break them.

I have watched as my daughters suffered the initial, inevitable pains that mortal adversity causes. But I have also watched as they have turned to God, taken His outstretched hand, and held on tight. They are children of the covenant. His promises are sure.

My heart is full. This week I've seen the power of God working in the lives of my children. This week I've felt the power of God seep into my sorrowing heart and ease my pain with the healing words, "I'm here to help you."