How do you feel as we look ahead to all that 2021 may (or may not) hold?
Although I am usually an optimist, there is one thing that fills my heart with dread this year.
It’s the dentist.
Many people are focused on the virus and its repercussions, on political tensions around the globe, on trade wars, on the refugee crisis, on health worries … BIG things. I don’t deny that these are concerning matters. My thoughts, however, are elsewhere.
Just before Christmas, I visited my dentist because of ongoing issues with a tooth … or the gum … or something. The verdict was that a root canal from seven years back has failed. The dentist has referred me to an endodontist.
What IS an endodontist? Are endodontists so specialised that they spell ‘dentist’ with an ‘o’? ‘Endo’ means ‘within’, I understand. I have since learnt that endodontists deal with ‘dental pulp’. That sounds gross. Worm-like. And expensive.
“Can’t you just pull the tooth out?” I pleaded with the no-frills-dentist. I hate dental work generally, but even more frightening are the bills.
“We would rather exhaust all other possibilities first,” the dentist explained as I lay there with dental sunglasses under a bright light, my mouth finally and blessedly relieved of all the dental paraphernalia. “Let the endodontist have a look under a microscope. If he can’t do anything, he’ll send you back here to have the tooth pulled. But if he can do a root canal repair, that would be best. Even if it only gives you another two years of life with your own tooth, that would be worth it.”
That would be worth it?
PANIC
A promise
Sufferers of dental disease in the Middle East in the seventh century BC either coped with it or had their teeth pulled without modern anaesthetics.
The people of Isaiah’s day had bigger problems than dodgy teeth, though. Many of them found themselves in exile in Babylon, far from their promised land. They considered themselves abandoned, forgotten by their God. (See, for example, Isaiah 40:27.)
And yet, despite their distress, look at what God told his people through the prophet Isaiah.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
Isaiah 41:10 NIV
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.
Don’t fear … but why not? (Part 1)
When we think about WHO made this promise, fear fizzles away, despite the dire circumstances.
This God is the Judge of all the earth (Isaiah 41:1). The judge of all the earth was THEIR God. The authorities in Babylon were not the ultimate judges.
What’s more, in his sovereignty, God uses earthly rulers to do his bidding. Isaiah 41:2 contains a promise referring to the Persian king, Cyrus, whose army would one day conquer their oppressor, Babylon. God is sovereign, even using those do not recognise him to fulfil his purposes. “So – do not fear,” he said, “for I am with you.”
God also claims in this chapter to be the First and Last, the Uncreated One (Isaiah 41:4). No wonder he was sovereign and had the right to judge.
Those exiled Israelites with downcast eyes could raise their heads and stand tall when they remembered whose they were. God has a bird’s eye view of history, the future and those Jews’ place in the great span of time and space. This very same God instructed them, “… do not be dismayed for I am your God.”
Exile was not going to finish anytime soon. No, those original recipients of the promise would actually die in exile. Their descendants would return to their own land one day, but not them. Yet even in this distressing state, they did not need to fear. In fact, they were commanded not to fear nor be dismayed.
Don’t fear … but why not? (Part 2)
Keeping in mind the nature of God, Isaiah then continued with more reasons about why these exiles should not fear. In just one verse – Isaiah 41:10 – God gave not one, not two, not three, not four but five reasons for confidence.
- “I am with you,” said the LORD.
- “I am your God,” he reminded them. They may have slipped away from devotion to God, but he had not forgotten them.
- “I will strengthen you,” he said, reminding me of another promise spoken just a chapter earlier to the same people: “… But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength…” (Isaiah 40:31a).
- “I will help you,” God added.
- “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Their oppressors could force them into exile, but God’s righteous right hand was undergirding them, nonetheless.
God’s people in 2021
We live in a messy world, and it seems to be getting messier by the day just now.
God hasn’t changed over the centuries, however. Although we are not in the sandals of the original recipients of that precious promise of Isaiah 41:10, we are God’s people if we follow Jesus. God has redeemed us through his own Son. He has indwelt us with his Spirit. The New Testament is packed with explanations of how it is that non-Jews like me have been incorporated into the ‘people of God’.
Consider this. The First and the Last, the Uncreated One, the Judge of all the earth remains sovereign. The craziness of our current era has not caught him by surprise. He even uses power-hungry rulers to fulfil his own purposes. (I’m honestly not pointing at any particular high profile leader here – there are actually quite a few I have in mind.) THIS God is our God. And he is with us.
God does not promise to rescue us from our troubles right here and right now, though ultimately he will. The hope of being plucked out of our difficulties is not a reason to not be afraid. (Sorry about the double negative there.)
God is with us. This is why we need not fear. In fact, we are commanded not to fear. The apostle to the Gentiles (to people like me) put it like this:
The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:5b-7 NIV
Eagles
This whole section of Isaiah is filled with precious promises. There are two that caught my eye.
The first is that promise of strength which I mentioned earlier. Actually, it was ‘my verse’ for 2020. I have blogged about that before.
… But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength, They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 NIV
I like to think of eagles soaring high and unimpeded by the troubles beneath them. However, as I look at this promise in context, I see that Isaiah was not talking about leaving trouble behind and so gaining strength. In fact, the context is more like life in a pressure cooker.
In the thick of trouble, we who hope in the LORD will renew our strength. We will rise up on wings like eagles … even if we feel more like galahs.
Jesus said something along the same lines as Isaiah to his followers:
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 NIV
That applies to us too.
Worms
The second promise that amuses and encourages me both is this:
Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel,
Isaiah 41:14 NIV
for I myself will help you,” declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
This promise encourages me because, though I may feel small … and am small … God is with me and He himself helps me.
This promise amuses me because worms don’t have teeth! I have been quietly panicking about upcoming dental work and the bills for the last two weeks. Then God points me to a verse about worms … toothless pulpy creatures. And just look at what God said to his people next:
See, I will make you into a threshing sledge,
Isaiah 41:15a
new and sharp, with many teeth.
As I embark on 2021, I look ahead with hesitation to God only knows how many hours with a dentist / endodontist and at what cost. God does not promise to pluck us out of difficulties right here and now, but he does promise to be with us in them.
When I remember that he is with me, I need not be afraid. I just need to put my hope in the LORD.
Mind you, it’s easier said than done. Yet the fact remains: He IS with us. So … do not fear, caffeinated worm.