To the Anxious of Heart. . .

Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God.
(Isaiah 35:4)

Do you worry? Are you fearful for the future? Are you anxious about many things? Any things?

 There are a great many things about which a person can have anxiety or fear. The Documentary Channel broadcast a show called The End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless. The theme? The world banking system will collapse within 5 – 10 years and there is little you can do about it. I don’t know about you, but that causes me some anxiety.

The History Channel has broadcast a whole host of shows involving the end of the world. One of the shows discussed the different versions of the coming apocalypse based on different religions. The viewpoints range from total and instant obliteration to epic collapses involving much pain and suffering over extended periods of time. Each comes with numerous contemporary events and prophecies that support its own theory. Usually, it doesn’t matter which one you may choose to believe, the time is close, VERY close.

Isaiah has some words of comfort. God is coming! I think it is quite important to notice that Isaiah does not minimize the seriousness of one’s source of anxiety. While I do not believe in a coming zombie apocalypse that seems to make millions of dollars for authors and movie makers, I do believe in an end to our world. And, as most of us know, endings of such magnitude are seldom peaceful and calming events. But, Isaiah’s source of comfort is not based on discrediting the events or minimizing an individual’s concerns about those events. It is based on the One who will come to be with the anxious of heart through those events.

The verse says that God will come with vengeance. Many of the Biblical translations translate that to mean wrath poured out on the enemies of God’s kingdom and His people. That may be so, but it certainly means that God will come with passion as well. That passion is based on a care for you and me. Are you still anxious? Nervous? Fearful?

Take comfort, your God will come, come to deliver, come to save, come to restore, come to comfort your fears and anxieties.

 Pastor Craig