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“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 (NIV)
This is the central declaration of the song, and it is one of the most powerful antidotes in Scripture against fear, anxiety, and oppression. Notice that God does not begin with an explanation. He begins with a command: “Do not fear.” But God never commands without also enabling. Every command of God carries in it the grace to obey it.
The theme of the lyrics is simple but profound: The presence of God is the decisive answer to all fear. Fear is not just an emotion; it is a spiritual force that enslaves, binds, and torments. The Bible speaks of a “spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7). God’s remedy is not positive thinking, not self-help, but Himself: “I am with you.”
Let us look at what the Word of God says, through three main passages:
This teaching will show how these promises expose, confront, and overcome fear—and how we must respond in faith, confession, and obedience.
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### Isaiah 41:10 – A Word to a Weak and Exiled People
Isaiah prophesied primarily to Judah, a people who would face invasion, exile, and apparent abandonment. Isaiah 40–48 addresses Israel in the context of Babylonian captivity (either anticipated or experienced). They had lost:
From a human standpoint, they had every reason to fear. Nations around them were rising and falling. Empires shifted like sand. Idolatry was rampant. God’s people were a small, weak minority under foreign power.
Into that situation, God speaks in Isaiah 41. He presents Himself as the Lord of history, the One who raises up and brings down kings (Isaiah 41:2–4). Surrounded by idol-worshippers who look to powerless gods, Israel is told:
> “But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.”
— Isaiah 41:8 (NKJV)
God roots His command “Fear not” in His covenant relationship. He reminds them:
Then comes the verse of our song:
> “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.”
— Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
This is not a general religious sentiment. It is a covenant declaration to a people under pressure, surrounded by threats, feeling abandoned.
### Isaiah 43:2 – Through Waters and Fire
Isaiah 43 continues the same theme. God addresses Jacob/Israel again:
> “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 (NKJV)
Then:
> “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.”
— Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV)
This is language Israel understood:
God does not say, “You will never face waters” or “You will never face fire.” He says, “When you pass through… I will be with you.” The promise is not escape from all trials, but victory through them.
### Psalm 27:1 – David in the Face of Enemies
> “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 (NKJV)
David was a man who knew danger:
Yet his starting point is not the size of his enemies but the nature of his God. He does not ask, “How strong am I?” but “Who is the Lord to me?”
So David reasons: If the Lord is this to me, whom shall I fear? This is biblical logic. Faith is not blind. Faith reasons from who God is to what we should expect and how we should live.
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To understand these promises, we must examine two key Hebrew words.
### 1. “Fear not” – יָרֵא (*yare*)
The word translated “fear” in Isaiah 41:10 and 43:1–2 is יָרֵא (*yare*). It can have two opposite directions:
1. Godly fear – reverence, awe, worship (e.g., “the fear of the Lord”).
2. Ungodly fear – terror, dread, intimidation.
In our verses, God is forbidding the second kind. The essence of *yare* here is to be intimidated, to shrink back, to be paralyzed by threat.
So when God says, “Fear not,” He is saying:
“Do not allow the threats around you to dominate your inner man. Do not give your heart over to terror. Do not bow emotionally or mentally to your circumstances.”
Fear always has an object. You fear *something* or *someone*. These passages call us to transfer fear:
When you fear God rightly, you will not fear man wrongly.
### 2. “Be not dismayed” – שָׁעָה / שָׁתַע nuance (*shaah* / related roots)
The word translated “dismayed” in Isaiah 41:10 is related to the idea of looking around with anxiety, gazing in concern, being shattered, broken down mentally. It carries the picture of a person whose inner stability has collapsed under pressure.
So when God says, “Be not dismayed,” He is saying:
“Do not let your mind be scattered. Do not let your heart be broken down by what you see. Do not let your inner world be dismantled.”
Fear attacks the emotions; dismay attacks the mind and will. Fear makes you tremble; dismay makes you give up.
God’s answer is:
Understanding these words shows that the song is not offering vague comfort. It is confronting two specific inner conditions: terror and collapse—and replacing them with the reality of God’s presence, power, and covenant.
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We will walk through the lyrics theme by theme and see how Scripture interprets Scripture.
### A. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.”
Here we have a double command and a double assurance.
#### 1. The Double Command
These are not gentle suggestions; they are divine imperatives. Fear, when yielded to, is disobedience. It is agreement with the enemy’s lies rather than with God’s truth.
Revelation 21:8 lists the “fearful” or “cowardly” among those who are excluded from the New Jerusalem. Why? Because persistent, unrepented fear is a refusal to trust God.
However, God never commands the impossible. Every “do not fear” in Scripture is anchored:
> “For I am with you.”
God’s presence is the basis for this command. The Lord does not say, “Do not fear, because you are strong,” or “Do not fear, because things will improve soon.” He says, “Do not fear, for I am with you.”
#### 2. The Double Assurance
This is the same principle seen throughout Scripture:
What destroys fear is not information about God, but the realized presence of God. When His presence becomes more real to you than your circumstances, fear loses its power.
### B. “I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Here God moves from the negative (what we are not to do) to the positive (what He will do).
There are three promises:
1. “I will strengthen you.”
God does not simply demand strength. He supplies it. Ephesians 6:10:
> “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
Our strength is derived, not inherent.
2. “I will help you.”
The Hebrew idea is that of support, assistance, coming alongside. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is called the Paraklētos—the One called alongside to help (John 14:16). Fear says, “I am alone.” God answers, “You are never alone. I help you.”
3. “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
The “right hand” in Scripture represents power, authority, and action:
The adjective “righteous” is crucial. God’s power is not arbitrary; it is linked to His righteousness. He upholds you on a righteous basis:
For the believer, “righteous right hand” means:
God’s power is engaged on your behalf because you stand in the righteousness of Christ.
### C. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you… When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned.”
Notice the “when,” not “if.” The Christian life is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God in trouble.
#### 1. Waters and Rivers
Waters in Scripture often symbolize:
“Pass through the waters” recalls:
In both cases, God did not remove the water. He made a path through it.
So God says:
This is protection in the midst of pressure. You may feel the spray, hear the roar, but they will not drown you when God is with you.
#### 2. Fire and Flame
Fire represents:
“Walk through the fire” foreshadows the three Hebrews in Babylon:
> “The fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.”
> — Daniel 3:27
Why? Because there was One “like the Son of God” walking with them in the fire (Daniel 3:25).
That is the Isaiah 43:2 promise made visible. In Christ, this becomes even more personal. He does not merely send an angel. He Himself is with us in the fire by His Spirit.
The promise is not the absence of heat, but the absence of destruction:
Your faith may be tested, but in Christ you will not be consumed.
### D. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
Here we see the logic of faith.
David does not begin with the problem; he begins with the Lord:
1. The Lord is my light
Light exposes darkness and confusion. Fear thrives in darkness—ignorance of God, ignorance of His Word. When you embrace the Lord as your light, fear loses its hidden base. Psalm 119:130:
> “The entrance of Your words gives light.”
2. The Lord is my salvation
Salvation (*yeshuah*) includes rescue, deliverance, victory. David does not say, “The Lord gives me salvation,” though that is true. He says, “The Lord is my salvation.” God does not merely hand you things; He gives you Himself.
3. The Lord is the strength of my life
Literally, “the fortress, stronghold of my life.” A stronghold is the place where you are secure from attack. Many believers have demonic strongholds in their minds—patterns of thought built on lies. God desires to be your stronghold instead.
Then comes the double rhetorical question:
The implied answer: No one, and nothing. Not man, not demons, not death, not the future.
This is how you must reason in spiritual warfare:
From the character of God → to the destruction of fear.
### E. “Do not fear—God is with you, He strengthens, helps, and upholds you.”
This line in the lyrics summarizes the theology of all three passages. It is almost a doctrinal statement:
Fear says, “You are alone, you are weak, you will fail, you will fall.” God answers each lie:
Spiritual warfare is largely a conflict of voices. Whose voice will you agree with? The enemy’s voice says, “Fear.” God’s voice says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” The victory is established when you join your voice to God’s voice.
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These promises are not automatic. They must be believed, received, and acted upon. I will give four practical steps.
### 1. Identify and Renounce the Spirit of Fear
2 Timothy 1:7 says:
> “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
Fear is not merely psychological; it can be spiritual, a demon that torments, binds, and lies. You must recognize it as an intruder, not as part of your identity.
Action:
You must distinguish between yourself and the spirit that has attached itself to you. Do not say, “I am a fearful person.” Say, “I have been attacked by fear, but in Christ I am free.”
### 2. Replace Fear with the Word of God
Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness with, “It is written” (Matthew 4). You must do the same. The mind must be renewed by the Word.
Action:
For example:
You cannot think your way out of fear with human reasoning. You must speak your way out with God’s Word. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17)—hear yourself proclaiming the promises.
### 3. Practice the Presence of God
The central answer to fear is: “I am with you.” This is not theory; it is to be experienced.
Action:
Psalm 16:8:
> “I have set the Lord always before me;
> Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.”
David set the Lord before him. That is an act of the will and attention. As you cultivate awareness of His presence, fear will lose its grip.
### 4. Make Bold Proclamations of Faith
In spiritual warfare, silence is often agreement with the enemy. You must say what God says. Hebrews 3:1 calls Jesus the High Priest of our confession. He represents in heaven what we confess on earth.
Action:
For example:
As you proclaim, the Holy Spirit bears witness, and the reality of the Word is worked into your heart.
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### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
> I declare that God is with me.
> Therefore I refuse fear and I reject dismay.
> 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.
> My God strengthens me.
> My God helps me.
> My God 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 shall not be burned.
> In Jesus Christ, fear has no place in me.
> I belong to the Lord.
> I am upheld, I am kept, and I am secure in Him. Amen.
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for Your Word that says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” I bring before You every area of my life where fear has taken hold—fear of people, fear of sickness, fear of death, fear of failure, fear of the future.
I confess that You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. In the authority of the name of Jesus, I renounce the spirit of fear. I command it to leave me now and never return.
Holy Spirit, fill me afresh. Reveal to me the presence of Jesus with me. Write Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2, and Psalm 27:1 deep into my heart. Let the truth of Your Word overpower every lie of the enemy.
Lord, be my light, my salvation, and the strength of my life. Teach me to walk through waters and fire with my eyes on You. Uphold me with Your righteous right hand, and make my life a testimony that You are faithful, that You are present, and that in You there is no need to fear.
I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
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