Lonely to be Loved! | Isaiah 41:10, Joshua 1:1-9 | The God Who Holds Your Hand

Do you know why peace is within reach? It’s because God’s hand is within reach. Today we’re reminded in Joshua that the Lord is with you, and with me. He will not fail us. He will not abandon us. Do not be afraid today. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Reach out. Call on the name of Jesus. Take his hand. He is with you. Remember, your name is engraved on the palm of His hand for you are loved.

Show Notes:

• Malachi 3:6 – I, the Lord, do not change. I changeth not.
• Who Is Jesus? Let us introduce you!
• Have a prayer request? Leave it here.
• We’d love for you to leave a review. We know most of our listeners come from Apple podcasts and if that is you, please take a moment to rate the podcast and tell us what you loved about this episode. It helps us reach more people!

Transcription:

Peace is within reach, not for lack of problems, but because of the presence of a sovereign Lord. – Max Lucado

Kicking off today’s episode of the Bible for Busy People with some really powerful words from Max Lucado. He’s a pastor and an author, and I highly recommend his work. By the way, my name is Erica. I’m your host. If we’ve never met before. And you know why peace is within reach, it’s because God’s hand is within reach. I want you to think about a time in your life when you held someone’s hand and you actually felt better. They did a study recently with women who went through an MRI machine, and if they held the hand of a stranger, their stress level decreased. If they held the hand of their husband, the stress decreased even further.

I want you to think a moment about holding the hand of God and what that might do to your stress level. Talk about a round kick to your stress, right? Holding God’s hand. I want to invite you to join me in Isaiah chapter 41. We’re going to read verse 10 together. Listen to the Word of the Lord.

Don’t be afraid for I am with you.

Sit with that for a moment. The Lord is with you right now.

Don’t be discouraged for I am your God.

Are you exhaling too?

I will strengthen you and help you.

There is a determination in that sentence, isn’t there?

I will strengthen you and help you.

God wants to strengthen you right now. He wants to help you. There’s a great TobyMac song. It’s called Help is on the Way and in it Toby sings about how God is rolling up his sleeves. That’s the kind of God we have. A God who loves each of us as if there were only one of us, as St. Augustine wrote long ago. A God who counts the hairs on our heads. Okay, here’s the final part of Isaiah 41:10.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

If you are sunk down in your circumstances today, if you are feeling lonely as we’ve been talking about all week, you are not alone. The Lord is with you. He is close. When you call on the name of Jesus, whether you’re coming out of a nightmare, or you’re driving into work white knuckled from the stress going on in your system, when you just say the name, Jesus, tell me your blood pressure doesn’t drop for a second. Tell me. Your stress level doesn’t drop. When you call out his name. It’s like taking his hand. I know we cannot see God with our eyes. I know so often we can’t hear his voice. Sometimes he’ll download something to your spirit. I’ve had that happen to me where you’re like, wait, that thought didn’t come from me. That had to come from him. And there are times where we absolutely sense his presence. But whether we see him or hear him or sense him or get a download, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s always there. He doesn’t change. The Bible says,

I the Lord do not change. I changeth not.

I forget where that is in scripture, but I’ll look it up and put it in the notes. Lemme make a note to myself right now to do that. He is with you regardless of what your senses are telling you right now. Regardless of what your doubts are saying inside of you right now. This is the reason we open the Bible. We remember that he’s close. Have you ever held a love letter in your hand, perhaps from someone who has passed on to glory and you feel a little closer to them? That’s how you can feel when you open God’s Word. Pastor and author John Piper wrote,

God wrote a book, pages and pages of God, his thoughts, his words, his heart right there just a few inches away.

Isn’t that incredible? You are not alone. God is holding your hand today. He’s right there. Okay, I want to invite you to join me now in Joshua chapter one beginning in verse one.

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Wow. Okay. As the Lord was with Joshua, so the Lord is with you and with me. He will not fail us. He will not abandon us. Do not be afraid today. Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Reach out. Call on the name of Jesus. Take his hand. He is with you. Remember, your name is engraved on the palm of His hand for you are loved.

Thank you for making time for the Bible for Busy People today. If being part of this community is a blessing to you, it’s super easy to share this podcast with someone you love. We’re all about spreading the hope of Jesus like butter. So, if you’ve got a moment to write a review, boy, we’d really appreciate that. Maybe you need a little prayer today, or you are ready to take that next step with God. I invite you to check out our show notes. You’re going to find lots of encouragement there. This podcast is one branch on a tree called Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcasts to help you find and thrive in God’s purpose for your life. If you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a purpose.