izaiaš 41,10

Neboj se, nebo já jsem s tebou; nestrachuj se, nebo já jsem Bůh tvúj.

Every New Year's Eve our church has a service to welcome in the new year. As a part of that service everyone receives a verse for the year. These verses are printed onto little bookmarks, prayed over and then, like the casting of lots, everyone draws one of these bookmarks and that is their verse for the year.

Last year I was in Prague for New Year's Eve, so I didn't get a verse. I wandered through most of 2006 purposeless...without vision...

This year I was in the States.

But, in a brilliant stroke of foresight and genius, I asked Lucka's dad to get a verse for me. One year of aimless wandering was one year too much for me.

So, Lucka brought the verse to me yesterday.

Isaiah 41:10 - Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.

On the surface this may not be that "powerful" of a verse...or may not seem so significant, but it is for two reasons:

1. I can read it in Czech.

2. I had a post entitled "songs for when i want to throw myself from a window" about a month ago. It was in response to a really tough time I was having, specifically ministry related. During one night of sleeplessness I was reading Isaiah 40 to help ground me and remind myself who God is, but I ended up continuing through to chapter 41. There was one verse that stuck out to me. No, not verse 10, but verse 13. "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.'"

What I loved about that verse was the idea of God holding my hand. There is something intimate about holding hands. There is something comforting about holding hands. I began to think of God on an entire different plane that night.

The God of the universe holds my hand when I am hurting.

He comes along side of me in my fear.

He grabs me by the hand.

He says to me, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

So, I have to admit I was a little skeptical about the whole casting of lots for a verse-for-the-year thing. But as I read the verse this morning and realized that it is a couple verses away from the verse the Lord had led me too on that late night a month ago I became a believer.

fear not.

i am with you.

be not dismayed.

i am your God.