Fear Not! Faith Devotions预览

A Little Dab Will Do

The Lord told Isaiah to go to King Ahaz and say to him, “Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands” (Isaiah 7:4).

When King Ahaz of Judah heard that both Ephraim and Syria were marching on Jerusalem to make war against Judah, he and all his people were scared.

To take heed means to pay close attention to something. Sometimes we have to literally sit down and shut up to really pay close attention. God’s words are a little more subtle than this, but in reality that is what He is saying. He also tells King Ahaz, in essence, Do not fear and do not lose your courage, I have it under control.

Ephraim and Syria had planned to attack Jerusalem by putting a hole in the wall, overthrowing the government, and ultimately putting a new king in place of Ahaz. Even for the bravest of kings, this news would certainly cause a little anxiety. God goes on to tell King Ahaz through the prophet Isaiah, “It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass” (Isaiah 7:7). God kept His promise and protected Judah.

The Lord had given Moses a similar message just before the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry ground: “The LORD will fight for you; you need only be still” (Exodus 14: 14). If ever there was a dire situation, it was this one. And we know how it turned out - the entire Egyptian army drowned in the sea.

Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still and know that I am God.” Do you need to be still today? If God is a big enough God to take on the entire Egyptian army and whip them, and destroy the armies of Ephraim and Syria, I bet He is big enough to handle whatever life is throwing at you today.

In the 1950s and 60s, there was a commercial for Brylcreem, a men’s hair styling product. Their jingle was “A little dab will do,” meaning it doesn’t take very much of this stuff.Faith works much the same way.It only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.

There is a quote by an unknown author, “Fear knocked at the door, faith answered and lo, there was nothing there.” Sometimes, just a little dab of faith can squelch all your fears. Can you muster up just a speck of faith; enough to answer the door? Put your faith in a faithful God and see what He can do for you today. Do not fear or be fainthearted; take heed, be still and see that He is God.

Prayer: Thank You Lord that You will fight for me. Help me to be still and know that You truly are the one and only God. Today, I will take heed, be quiet and fear not. Whenever I hear the knock at the door, I will let my faith answer it. Fear will not get a foothold in my heart or my home. In Jesus name, amen.