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The future is always a question mark. Yet there are times when it seems like the future is much more predictable. This is not one of those times. We currently live in a very unpredictable time. We see a surge of new COVID cases in central Canada. The stock markets remain unsure because of COVID and the US election. The Alberta economy continues to struggle with low oil prices and the uncertainty about oil’s future. We wonder how school’s reopening will impact our children and communities.

Yet despite all this we do not have to live in fear. I listened to a portion of a message on Isaiah 41 yesterday on the app Ask Pastor John. The speaker points out the comprehensive way God protects and surrounds us. He especially notes God’s presence in Isaiah 41:10

Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10).

Then he notes the following about God’s protective presence in our lives.

  • God is beside us. I am with you, which means that He is present beside us as we journey through life.
  • God is above us. I am your God, which refers to God’s greatness and supremacy over us. He is God and we are not. Yet He is our God who is on our side.
  • God is within us. I will strengthen you. God’s strength flows from within us to keep us going no matter what life brings.
  • God surrounds us with His protection. I will help you. No matter what direction from which the enemy attacks, God is present to help us.
  • God is underneath us. I will uphold you. God holds us up and ensures that we can keep going.

I am with you. I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you. God is above you, beside you, within you, around you and underneath you. So no matter what the future holds, we know the one who holds the future and helps us through it.

We live in uncertain times Lord. Yet we always have. It’s just that today the things we once depended on for certainty have been disrupted. But none of this surprises you. Thank you for your all around presence and help for us today and every day into the future.