Click to Play
0 plays
“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
The central theme of this song is very simple, very direct, and absolutely essential for victorious Christian living: God’s presence is the answer to fear. Not human courage, not positive thinking, but the covenant-keeping God who says, “I am with you… I am your God… I will strengthen you… I will help you… I will uphold you.”
This theme runs like a golden thread through the three key passages:
Let us look at what the Word of God says, and then align our thinking, our emotions, and our mouths with it. These are not religious slogans. These are covenant declarations from the mouth of Almighty God, intended to displace fear, anxiety, and intimidation from the hearts of His people.
---
### Isaiah 41:10 and Isaiah 43:2 – A Promise to a Weak People
Isaiah prophesied in a time when Judah faced the looming power of empires—Assyria and then Babylon. Outwardly, God’s people were small, vulnerable, and frequently unfaithful. Yet in the midst of this, God speaks words of assurance, not based on their strength, but on His covenant faithfulness.
In Isaiah 41, God is addressing Israel as His chosen servant:
> “But you, Israel, are My servant,
> Jacob whom I have chosen,
> the descendants of Abraham My friend.”
> — Isaiah 41:8
Then in verse 9:
> “You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth…
> I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”
On that basis comes verse 10:
> “Fear not, for I am with you;
> be not dismayed, for I am your God;
> I will strengthen you,
> yes, I will help you,
> I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
So this word is given not to a triumphant nation, but to a weak, threatened, scattered people, facing the reality of exile and judgment. God does not minimize their danger; He maximizes His presence.
In Isaiah 43:2, the context is similar. God speaks again to Jacob/Israel as His redeemed people:
> “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
> and He who formed you, O Israel:
> ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
> I have called you by your name;
> you are Mine.’”
> — Isaiah 43:1
Then comes verse 2:
> “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
> and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
> When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
> nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Notice: “when,” not “if.” God does not promise to keep them from waters and fires, but to keep them in waters and fires. The issue is not the absence of trials; it is the presence of God in the trials.
### Psalm 27:1 – David in the Face of Enemies
Psalm 27 is attributed to David. The psalm itself indicates a life under pressure:
> “When the wicked came against me…
> my enemies and foes…
> Though an army may encamp against me…” (vv. 2–3)
David was not writing from a comfortable religious setting. He was a warrior, a hunted man at various times, often surrounded by real enemies, real threats, real danger. Yet he begins:
> “The Lord is my light and my salvation;
> whom shall I fear?
> The Lord is the strength of my life;
> of whom shall I be afraid?”
> — Psalm 27:1
David does not start with the enemies. He starts with who God is to him:
From that revelation springs the rhetorical question: “Whom shall I fear?” In Bible language, correct theology becomes practical courage.
---
### 1. “Fear” – *Yare’* (יָרֵא)
In Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not” is *al-tira* (אַל־תִּירָא), from the Hebrew root yare’.
In this passage, it is the fear that paralyzes and intimidates. God is saying, literally: “Stop being afraid.” This is a command, not a suggestion. It means fear, in this sense, is not something we must tolerate. By the Word of God and by the Spirit of God, we are commanded to resist it.
Now notice the deeper spiritual principle: Fear (yare’) is ultimately about what or whom you ascribe power to. If we fear people, circumstances, or demons, we are giving them the place that belongs to God alone. The Spirit of fear is a demonic counterfeit of the fear of the Lord.
Paul reflects this New Covenant reality:
> “For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
> but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
> — 2 Timothy 1:7
The “spirit of fear” here is not an emotion; it is a spiritual entity. God says, “Do not fear,” because He has provided another Spirit—the Holy Spirit, producing power, love, and self-control.
### 2. “Be not dismayed” – *Sha’ah / Shatah* Nuance
The phrase “do not be dismayed” in Isaiah 41:10 is from a root that means to look around anxiously, to be bewildered, to be broken down by looking at circumstances.
The idea is:
In modern terms: mental distress, panic, breakdown, spinning thoughts. God addresses it at the root: how we see.
### 3. “Strengthen” – *Chazaq* (חָזַק)
“I will strengthen you” – *’amatz’eka* or from chazaq (“to be strong, to make firm, to seize, to fortify”).
This is not sentimental comfort. It is imparted strength. God says: “I will make you firm. I will seize you, brace you, fortify you.” The picture is of God taking hold of you so that you cannot collapse.
### 4. “Uphold” – *Tamak* (תָּמַךְ)
“I will uphold you” – from tamak (“to hold, support, sustain, maintain”).
It is the picture of a hand underneath, bearing the weight. The Christian life is not you holding onto God with all your might; it is God holding you with His righteous right hand.
This deepens the meaning of the lyrics. The song is not merely encouraging us to “try harder not to fear.” It points to specific covenant actions of God:
---
Let us walk through the main themes expressed in the lyrics and connect them with scripture.
### A. “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.”
And repeated:
> “Fear not, for I am with you;
> be not dismayed, for I am your God.
> I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you;
> I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Notice the structure: two commands followed by three promises.
1. Command 1 – “Fear not, for I am with you.”
The reason not to fear is not “you are strong,” but “I am with you.”
This is the central covenant promise:
> “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)
On that basis, Hebrews continues:
> “So we may boldly say:
> ‘The Lord is my helper;
> I will not fear.
> What can man do to me?’”
> — Hebrews 13:6
The New Testament confirms the same pattern: God’s presence → our bold confession → freedom from fear.
2. Command 2 – “Be not dismayed, for I am your God.”
Dismay arises when we view life independent of God. God answers our mental confusion with a simple statement of ownership and covenant: “I am your God.”
In other words:
Where the world says, “I do not know what is going on,” the believer says, “I know who is my God.”
3. Promise 1 – “I will strengthen you.”
This speaks to our weakness. God does not say, “You are strong enough.” He says, “I will impart My strength.” Compare Isaiah 40:29–31:
> “He gives power to the weak,
> and to those who have no might He increases strength…
> Those who wait on the Lord
> shall renew their strength;
> they shall mount up with wings like eagles…”
4. Promise 2 – “I will help you.”
The Hebrew idea of “help” often carries practical, active involvement. God is not a distant observer. He is a present help:
> “God is our refuge and strength,
> a very present help in trouble.
> Therefore we will not fear…”
> — Psalm 46:1–2
Notice again the pattern: God’s presence as helper → no fear.
5. Promise 3 – “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
The “right hand” in Scripture signifies power, authority, and victory. God is saying, “My victorious, righteous power will carry you.” Not random power, but righteous power—fully aligned with His character, covenant, and justice.
In the New Testament, Jesus is at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 1:3). So we may say: we are upheld by the same right hand that has seated Christ above all rule and authority.
---
### B. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned…”
This stanza reflects Isaiah 43:2 word for word:
> “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
> and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
> When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
> nor shall the flame scorch you.”
There is a spiritual realism here:
1. “When you pass through the waters…”
Waters and rivers in Scripture often picture overwhelming circumstances, chaos, danger (Psalm 69:1–2). God’s promise is not: “You will never face deep waters.” His promise is: “They shall not overflow you.”
Spiritually, this speaks to times of intense pressure, grief, crisis, when the soul feels it will be swept away. The decisive factor is who is in the waters with you.
2. “When you walk through the fire…”
Fire speaks of trial, testing, sometimes persecution. Peter echoes this:
> “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you…”
> — 1 Peter 4:12
God does not deny the reality of fiery trials. But He sets a limit: “You shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” The fire may purify; it may refine; but it shall not consume the one whom God protects.
The clearest historical illustration is Daniel 3—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace. Note the pattern:
This is Isaiah 43:2 in narrative form. The fire may be seven times hotter, but it cannot prevail against the presence of the Son of God.
So, when this lyric is sung, it is not sentimental comfort. It is the declaration of a spiritual law: No fire can destroy the person whom God chooses to preserve. It may refine, but it cannot annihilate.
---
### C. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
This stanza is Psalm 27:1. Again we see the pattern:
1. The Lord is my light.
Light exposes, guides, and drives out darkness. Spiritually, darkness is ignorance, confusion, deception. To have the Lord as light means: I do not walk in spiritual confusion, because His Word and His Spirit illuminate my path.
> “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
> — Psalm 119:105
2. The Lord is my salvation.
“Salvation” (*yeshuah* in Hebrew) is more than forgiveness. It includes deliverance, rescue, and victory. David is saying: “My deliverance is not an event, it is a Person: the Lord Himself.”
In the New Testament, this is fulfilled in Jesus, whose very name *Yeshua* means “The Lord is salvation.” If Jesus is your salvation, then your enemies—natural or demonic—cannot ultimately prevail.
3. The Lord is the strength of my life.
This goes beyond occasional help. The Lord Himself is the ongoing strength, the inner resource of life. You live by a strength that is not your own.
From these three realities, David asks twice:
The implied answer: No one. When God is my light, my salvation, and my strength, every other threat is relativized. It may be real, but it is not ultimate.
---
### D. “Do not fear—God is with you, He strengthens, helps, and upholds you.”
Here the lyrics summarize the theology of these passages in one practical proclamation:
This confronts a common religious error: the idea that we must endure fear as a permanent companion. Scripture teaches that fear is a spiritual enemy to be resisted with the Word of God, by the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus.
---
The promises of Isaiah 41, Isaiah 43, and Psalm 27 do not apply automatically. They must be received, believed, and acted upon. Let me outline several practical steps.
### 1. Identify and Renounce the Spirit of Fear
First, we must acknowledge that persistent, tormenting fear is not from God.
> “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
> — 2 Timothy 1:7
If fear dominates your thoughts, your decisions, or your emotions, you are dealing with a spiritual influence. It may be rooted in past trauma, sin, curses, or occult involvement, but the nature is the same: it is not from God.
You must say, with your own mouth:
“Fear, you are not from God. I renounce you. I refuse to submit to you. I choose to fear God only.”
This is the first step in deliverance: bringing fear into the light of the Word and refusing its authority.
### 2. Align Your Mouth with God’s Word
Second, we must align our speech with the declarations of Scripture. Notice Hebrews 13:5–6 again:
> “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’
> So we may boldly say:
> ‘The Lord is my helper;
> I will not fear.
> What can man do to me?’”
God has said, so that we may say. The Word in your Bible must become the word in your mouth. That is how faith operates.
You can take the very words of Isaiah 41:10 and Psalm 27:1 and make them your daily confession:
As you proclaim these truths, you are resisting fear, strengthening faith, and inviting the Holy Spirit to confirm the Word with power.
### 3. Fix Your Focus on God’s Presence, Not the Circumstance
Third, we must change our focus. “Be not dismayed” implies we stop looking around anxiously and fix our gaze on the Lord.
David models this in Psalm 27:
> “One thing I have desired of the Lord,
> that will I seek:
> that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
> all the days of my life,
> to behold the beauty of the Lord…”
> — Psalm 27:4
The cure for fear is not introspection; it is God-occupation. You turn from analyzing your own weakness to beholding His strength, His beauty, His faithfulness.
Practically, this means:
Fear grows when we meditate on the problem. Faith grows when we meditate on the Person of God.
### 4. Embrace the Fire and Waters as Places of Encounter
Fourth, we must adjust our expectation about trials. God says, “When you pass through the waters… when you walk through the fire…”
Many believers stumble because they assume: “If God is with me, I will avoid all deep waters and fires.” Scripture says the opposite: God’s presence is manifested in the midst of them.
So we must say:
The three Hebrews in Daniel 3 met the Son of God in the furnace. Often, your most powerful encounter with God’s presence will be in the place where fear says, “You are finished.” There, the Word declares, “You are upheld by His righteous right hand.”
---
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
> I choose not to fear, for the Lord is with me.
> He is my God; I will not be dismayed.
> He strengthens me.
> He helps me.
> He upholds me with His righteous right hand.
>
> When I pass through the waters, He is with me.
> The rivers will not overflow me.
> When I walk through the fire, I will not be burned,
> nor will the flame scorch me.
>
> The Lord is my light and my salvation;
> I will not fear.
> The Lord is the strength of my life;
> I will not be afraid.
>
> God has not given me a spirit of fear,
> but of power, and of love,
> and of a sound mind.
> I receive His power.
> I receive His love.
> I receive a sound mind.
> In the name of Jesus. Amen.
### Prayer
Lord God of Israel, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
I come to You in the name of Jesus, submitting myself under Your authority and Your Word.
You have said, “Fear not, for I am with you.”
On the authority of Your Word, I renounce every spirit of fear, anxiety, and intimidation.
I declare that fear is not from You.
I refuse to agree with it any longer.
Holy Spirit, come and fill every area where fear has ruled.
Impart to me Your power, Your love, and a sound, disciplined mind.
Open my eyes to see that You are my light, my salvation, and the strength of my life.
Lord, as I pass through waters and walk through fires,
manifest Your presence with me.
Let these very trials become testimonies of Your faithfulness and power.
Uphold me today with Your righteous right hand.
I choose to believe Your Word above my feelings,
above my circumstances,
above every lie of the enemy.
I thank You that You are with me, You are my God,
You strengthen me, You help me,
and You will never let me go.
In the mighty name of Jesus.
Amen.
Deepen your worship with these related songs:
No more songs available