Brothers in Arms
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Imagine for a moment you’re a soldier stuck behind enemy lines. Would you be more terrified if you were all alone or surrounded by comrades? And if you were hiking and fell down a ravine, would you be more scared if you woke up in the wilderness or in the emergency room? I admit, I often wish God would just immunize me from fearful situations in the first place, and I’d rather Isaiah 41:10 read, “Fear not, for I won’t let any fearful thing happen to you,” but what if His presence wasn’t a given? What if we couldn’t turn to Scriptures like these for help in times of despair? What if we really were completely alone? C.S. Lewis made the famous comment that “there are no atheists in the fox holes,” and I’d venture to guess that’s because the fox holes are where we feel God’s presence the most.
How amazing to think that our divine Comrade carries the heavens on His shoulders, and the whole world on His back, and yet still He reaches down into the trenches to carry us.