Stand Strong, I Am With You
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10).
I Am With You
Usually, we read this verse with the emphasis on the word with. It brings great comfort to hear God say, “I am with you.” Knowing we are not alone does a lot to drive out fear as we plod along with life’s journeys. From the beginning, God acknowledged it wasn’t good for man to be alone and graciously chose to create companionship by dividing Adam into male and female.
Wise King Solomon knew how important it is to have someone alongside us. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12).
Human friendship can only go so far. It’s better, by a factor of I don’t know how much, to have God himself offer that kind of fellowship. “I am with you,” he says. Then he confirms it by designating Jesus as Immanuel—“God is with us.”
As wonderful as the word with may be, this phrase has three more words. Let’s try emphasizing each in turn and see what fresh encouragement they bring.
I AM With You
The verb am portrays no dramatic action on God’s part. It merely describes his state of being. Would it surprise you to know this word doesn’t even appear in Hebrew? A transliteration of the verse might read, “Myself with yourself.” To make sense to English ears, scholars maintain the gist by adding a verb. “I am with you.”
The present tense of the “to be” verb portrays God as a now presence. Am implies a never-ending state of being. In effect, he says he was and is and will continue to be with us into eternity. It’s comforting to know he is with us, but his declaration to continue his “with-ness” adds confidence to our faith.
Moses emphasizes this eternal promise of God by saying, “He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
I Am With YOU
Next comes the remarkable fact the one making this promise—the King of the universe, the Creator of the world and all that is in it, the Mighty One—has chosen us as the object of his companionship.
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you visit him?” (Psalm 8:3–4).
Instead of standing aloof, this great God stoops to our level, as a kindergarten teacher might before a student, to look us straight in the eye. He is with us face-to-face to communicate and fellowship with us more perfectly. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth, who has chosen to be with us!
I Am With You
I’ve saved the best for last, because there is no more encouraging and empowering way to read this verse than by remembering who is doing the promising. Why should we refrain from being afraid or dismayed? Because the I who stands with us is the great King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Master over all powers and principalities, natural or spiritual, that we face. He is the Victor who fights for us in the spiritual and physical battles we face.
He is the I who towers at our side. Who could we possibly be afraid of?
However strong the winds are blowing against us, the stronger one is at our side. His voice is in our ear. “Fear not, nor be dismayed. I am with you. I am with you. I am with even you. And always remember, it is I, even I, who is with you.”
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
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