“Fear thou not for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yes, I will help thee, yes, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10
Dear Ones:
In one of Christ’s descriptions of the character and work of Satan, He said: “The thief comes not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (Jn. 10:10) He contrasts this picture of the enemy with one of Himself: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” In writing to us of such a contrast, the Lord is revealing to us that we need to know our enemy. Paul even writes, “…for we are not ignorant of his devices.” The first thing we see in this passage in John’s gospel is the intent of Satan. This roaring lion is ever seeking to devour whomever he can, to steal, kill, and destroy. With regard to how he does this, we need to look at one of his devices…DISMAY. Why do we see this word spoken very often in Scripture, especially in the Old Testament, with regard to believers? It is because of a flaw, a flaw in our sinful nature. That flaw is that inward assessment, and occupation with, what we are by nature, sinful and failing, without hope and help in and of ourselves, in the face of difficulty and need. In Hebrew, the word “dismay” means “…to break down, either by violence, or by confusion and fear.” It means to make afraid, to discourage, scare, terrify. Satan’s ultimate objective is to destroy that which God has made, saved, and in whom He is working. He does this by creating an attitude of “dismay” in the heart of the believer. One of his “means” by which he does this is by roaring. He seeks to paralyze his prey by overpowering him or her by the force of his words, feelings, or circumstances. But “words” are only as powerful as the one who declares them. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah” is greater within us, than he that is in the world, possessing all power and authority. The question then becomes, “Whose words will we accept, trust, and embrace”. The Lord tells us not to give ground to dismay, as it does not belong to us in Christ. How then do we recognize the devices of the enemy, and reject dismay?
The story is told in the gospel of Luke concerning a ruler of the synagogue named Jairus. He had an only daughter of twelve years of age, who was very sick, and at the point of death. Jairus came to Jesus, as he had no other hope or solution for his dying daughter. Jesus went with him, but on the way, Jairus received the news that his daughter had died. It is then that immediately the Lord Jesus said: “Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” (Luke 8:50) What did Jesus do here? He saved Jairus from giving ground to dismay. He called him instead to faith, a continuance of faith. This was possible, and the right thing to do, because of the ONE who was with Jairus, the ONE who possessed all authority in heaven and in earth.
At one point in the conquest of Canaan, after Joshua and the people had conquered Jericho, there was to be the siege and assault upon the city of Ai. Now, God had promised to Joshua and the people, success and victory in all their conquests. However, what Joshua did not know was that a certain man named Achan disobeyed God in the conquest of Jericho, and had stolen that which was forbidden. The result was that at their next battle, Joshua suffered defeat. Not understanding why they were not victorious, he prostrated himself before God, asking the question: “Why did you bring all these people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites?” (v.7) God would deliver Joshua from dismay by revealing WHY there was the defeat.
Dear Father, Save us from all fear and dismay, fixing our trust only in Thee according to Thy promises. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad