I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:9-10

You know, when I first picked this verse to memorize, it excited me and made me feel loved. God personally chose ME, searched for ME, loved ME. It was the first part of these verses that I was really focusing on. Then the week happened. I'm sure you notice my lack of blogging.

Well, I turned into a worrywort. I was worrying about everything that was going on in my life because I didn't know how to control anything. I was getting advice from people I respect, but it was all conflicting advice. I felt horrible. It was then that I noticed the second part of the scripture...

1) "...do not fear, for I am with you..." How often do I fear because I think I am alone and have to do everything on my own. Sure, I'll pray to God for other people. I'll even throw up that desperate cry for help, but do I believe? do I stop fearing and know that God is with me? Today I did just that. I realized I was acting like a caged animal and I took a step back and just watched myself. I thought, 'this is not what the scripture says. It says that I am not to fear, yet I'm running scared. why? because I am trying to be God.' Today, I let go and fell into His arms. I always wondered what people meant when they said they felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders, because their problems were still very present! Likewise, my problems are also still present, and I currently have no solution, but He does and I am trusting Him to lead me, and so I do not fear.

2) "...do not be dismayed, for I am your God..." wow! Not only is He all powerful, but He is MINE. He is on MY side! so I don't have to fear or be sad! This part of the scripture makes me feel safe. It's like I can let all my walls and shields down. I can be vulnerable before Him because He is for me and is here to take care of me. I don't have to pretend everything is ok, nor do I have to make something sound worse so I can get attention. I can be who He created me to be...in the arms of His love.

3) "...I will strengthen you..." this part really hit home. I have been feeling zapped spiritually. I have been feeling as though I can not resist any of the devil's trick, as well as feeling very tired physically. Yet I keep running across these verses about strength. I think God is trying to tell me that He will give me the strength I need to endure. Again, I just need to plug into Him. Until I am fully charged, He will "help me and uphold me with his righteous right hand." God never leaves us to go it alone. He is always there to encourage us and minister to our needs. He knows when we have strength and when we are depleted. He knows when to hold on to the back of the bike, as we learn to ride, and when to let it go and let us peddle on our own. He also is there to catch us right before we hit the ground and skin our knee.

These verses have been just what I needed these two weeks, even though it took me a week to even realize that, but I am thankful for them and for the reminders that I am chosen, loved, protected, joy-filled, strengthened, and upheld...and you are too.

Now we need to live it.

March 1 - 15 Scripture

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:9-10

This is a longer verse then the others I have chosen, but I think it has an important message, one that I need to remember. I look forward to breaking it apart this month :)

Hope all of you are memorizing too!