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 41:10 gives us a call from God to have courage: “Do not fear.” However, he isn’t telling us to “dig deep” and find within our own resources the strength and determination to keep going. The Lord doesn’t expect me to forge ahead by myself. Instead, he encourages me with the words, “I am with you”. We find this phrase throughout Scripture, giving strength and courage to the listener. God spoke these words to Moses when he sent him back to Egypt to speak to Pharaoh (Exodus 3:12) and Jesus spoke these words to his disciples when he gave them the mission to go into the world to spread the good news of the kingdom of God and to make disciples (Matthew 28:20).
Do you recall those stone spiral staircases in castles? They ran anti-clockwise as the defenders of the castle went down to repel invaders, their sword arm (right arm) freed for action. Isaiah 41:13 shows God taking our right hand and saying “Do not fear” – for it is God’s strength and power ‘wielding the sword’, not our own strength. Whether we are right-handed or left-handed, I’m sure we will understand that picture.
How good it is to know that believers in Christ have the presence of God the Holy Spirit with us to help us and uphold us (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:22; 1 John 4:15–16).
10:00 Sunday church video meeting
Southcrest Online is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Southcrest Church – Sunday @ 10:00am (online call)
Time: 7th February 2021, 10:00 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
The meeting will be followed by a 10-15 minute chat.
10:30 a.m. A local online service?
- Woodgreen Evangelical Church at Worcester weekly online service can be found at their YouTube site.
- Manor Park Church at Worcester also have an online service. You’ll find it at their YouTube site.
(Don’t worry if you are late for either of these, as you can catch up on the YouTube links above.)
11:00 a.m. Hillsong UK online service
https://online.hillsong.com/room/uk
Sung praise: Days of Elijah
Author: Don Marsh, Robin Mark
Sung by: Robin Mark
'Days of Elijah' lyrics
These are the days of Elijah, Declaring the word of the Lord: And these are the days of Your servant Moses, Righteousness being restored. And though these are days of great trial, Of famine and darkness and sword, Still, we are the voice in the desert crying 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord!' Behold He comes riding on the clouds, Shining like the sun at the trumpet call; Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee, And out of Zion's hill salvation comes. These are the days of Ezekiel, The dry bones becoming as flesh; And these are the days of Your servant David, Rebuilding a temple of praise. These are the days of the harvest, The fields are as white in Your world, And we are the labourers in Your vineyard, Declaring the word of the Lord! There's no God like Jehovah. There's no God like Jehovah!
Worried?
Surviving? Thriving? In lockdown is this even possible?! We may feel out of control and restricted by all Covid ‘Do Not’ rules.
But God is in control and he isn’t restricted. He is the bread of life and alone can fully satisfy. We can trust that the God who feeds the birds and clothes the flowers will look after us.
The lockdown ‘Do Nots’ might feel confining, but the Bible’s ‘Do Nots’ are liberating.
A couple of links for younger ones…
Daily devotionals
Max Lucado’s daily page with brief encouraging talks.
- Max’s page is here – words of help and comfort, daily devotionals
- Here in this video message from last Wednesday, Max talks of the Holy Spirit’s presence quelling our panic and producing praise…
Life Connect daily page from Counties on a channel called Counties Connect.
This week on Counties Connect, Tim Cracknell has been interviewing different people about how the pandemic has affected their lives. Here’s Monday’s talk with John…
Find the others in this week’s series here.
Angus Buchan daily devotional thoughts. He’s a no-nonsense Christian from South Africa; you may enjoy his direct presentation (or not), but he always gives a strong message from a verse or two from the Bible.
- His daily thought audios are posted here.
- Angus posts his short video thoughts here.
In this 5-minute episode, Angus tells us that in the time of Noah after the rain stopped and the flood subsided, it was time to get out of the Ark. Even so it took great faith and courage to leave their place of safety and venture out into the unknown. We too need to step out of our comfort zone in order to achieve God’s purposes in our life.
Angus reads Genesis 8:1, 16-17; Romans 8:31.
Give someone a ring
Phone someone you know and encourage each other, as you both focus on all that is good that God has given you this week by his grace.
Do one better and have a video chat: you can do that with WhatsApp, Skype, or Zoom, etc.
Pray for one another
Praise God for his loving kindness to us. Share your concerns with him about your family and friends and pray for those who are unwell, seeking work, or who are at risk at this time.
Continue to pray for children and students in their studies; for their schools and the teachers and other staff. Pray for all those delivering the vaccine, or whose job is to care for Covid-19 patients; and for those whose treatment has been put on hold by the crisis.
Back to news