Isaiah: Your Pole of Fear

Isaiah 41 

I thought my friend was fearless, convinced he would try anything once. But when we went with a group for a zipline adventure, he refused to climb the pole to the stand where you hook on for the ride down. We encouraged him, made fun of him, and even jeered him. Still, he declined, paralyzed by that pole of fear.

All of us have our own “pole of fear”—those things that cause us to freeze, fight, or run. Taylor Swift said that she was intimidated by the fear of being average.”[1] In my podcast with former NFL star Craig Wolfley, he recalled struggling as a player with the fear of failure, worried about letting his teammates and the entire city of Pittsburgh down. Some people fear success so much that they engage in “self-sabotage.”[2]

What is your pole of fear?

Psychologists tell us that the more scared we are, the scarier things will seem. This is called potentiation: “Your fear response is amplified if you are already in the state of fear.”[3]

However, God reassures us, “Fear not, for I am with you” (Isa. 41:10).

In Isaiah 41, the prophet Isaiah spoke to a group of people whose “pole of fear” was the unknown. His immediate audience had the Assyrians threatening to attack them. His target audience was a people held in captivity, over one hundred and fifty years in the future. They were yearning for God’s deliverance and fearful of an uncertain future.

God called all the nations together and proclaimed his authority, “I, the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he” (Isa. 41:4b). God is over every moment of history from the beginning to the end. He was preparing to raise a great king to do his work. This king would come from the north (Isa. 41:25) and the east (Isa. 41:2). Some believe this ruler spoken of was a personified Israel, others believe this refers to the coming Messiah.[4] However, most commentators agree that Isaiah is prophesying about Cyrus the Great, who began ruling the Persian Empire in 559 BC.

Cyrus crossed the Tigris River from the east and entered the Babylonian Empire to begin his victorious march. He had already conquered the Medes in the north, so “he could therefore be described as being both from the east and the north.”[5] Amazingly, Isaiah is speaking about a future king who would not come onto the world scene for another one hundred years! And later, Isaiah will name him by name (Isa. 44:28; 45:1)! Think of it. Those in captivity were reading a century-old prophecy that named the specific king who had conquered the world. Would that confirm your faith in God or what!?

The people from far away will be “afraid; the ends of the earth tremble” (Isa. 41:5), but God’s people have nothing to fear. God is always on our side.

Isaiah 41:8-10
But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; 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. 

God promised protection. The enemies of God’s people would “be put to shame and confounded” (Isa. 41:11). God assured, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you’” (Isa. 41:13).

Isaiah 41:14-16
Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel . . . And you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory. 

Now, granted, being called a worm is not the most positive description. However, God is using it as a symbol of weakness and insignificance. Judah needs his help, and God is preparing to “redeem” them. The term translated “redeem” is the Hebrew word, go’al. It means “to reclaim as one’s own.” God will rescue his people from captivity and provide them with everything they need.

God is speaking to those who have been in captivity for seventy years. Some have only known what it is like to be in chains. The Babylonians captured the Israelites and took them back to Babylon as slaves, but the Persians had a different philosophy. They allowed those who had been conquered to remain in their homeland for economic and morale purposes. They sent back to Judah those who had been held in captivity during Babylon’s reign.

Under Ezra, the first group of captives made their way back to Jerusalem with hopes of rebuilding the temple. They had questions during the five-hundred-mile trip to reach Jerusalem. What would the long journey from Babylon to Jerusalem be like? How would they survive along the way? What would their deserted cities be like when and if they arrived?

God said, “I’ve got your back.” The God of Israel would not forsake them (Isa. 41:17). He promised to give them everything they needed for the journey ahead and provide for their resettlement in the land (Isa. 41:17-20).

In the last part of this chapter, God calls out the nation with questions. He challenges the lifeless idols Judah used to predict the future, to “declare to us the things to come” (Isa. 41:22). He admonishes the idols as “less than nothing”, for none will answer (Isa. 41:24, 28-29). God assures that he has done his work, and reminds his people that he “[gave] to Jerusalem a herald of good news” (Isa. 41:27).

Let’s wrap up with our Anchor Point: Isaiah 41:10.

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. 

Jennifer thought she had everything under control. She worked diligently and was successful. Life was good and she was in charge…until she wasn’t. One day, her son began having seizures, up to a hundred a day. The appointments with doctors were confusing and frustrating. This was a pole of fear she couldn’t climb. She cried out to God. Isaiah 41:10 became her go-to verse. You can hear Jennifer’s story on an upcoming podcast (The Living Grounded Podcast, Episode 82).

Isaiah 41:10 should always be our go-to verse for addressing fear. God upholds us with his strong and righteous right hand. That’s a promise we can live with!!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 41. Read through our Anchor Point—Isaiah 41:10. What a promise! God will hold you close…in all your fears, struggles, and doubts.

Talking to God:  Pray that you can experience the confidence of Isaiah 41:10. Ask God to replace your fear with his peace and confidence. 

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