Isaiah 49:22-23 (ESV)

Thus says the Lord GOD:

“Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations,

and raise my signal to the peoples;

and they shall bring your sons in their arms,

and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

Kings shall be your foster fathers,

and their queens your nursing mothers.

With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,

and lick the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the LORD;

those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”

These verses were written to a people destined for exile. Their homes and their temple would be destroyed and they would be carried off to a foreign land. Yet God says that the nations will bring his people back home. The foreigners will protect, exalt, provide for, and honor the people of God. This is not because of their great faith, or even their deep repentance. It is because of the faithfulness of God. The people of God will know that God is the LORD, the faithful, covenant keeping God, when they see this prophecy fulfilled.

Our world is spiraling out of control. Crime and violence seem to be increasing. The danger of internal and external terror attacks is real. The possibility of North Korea dropping a nuke is frightening. Strange people are immigrating to our country and the culture is changing. New diseases seem to be constantly popping up. Promised cures seem unlikely. As we get older death seems to become a central part of our lives. Fear grips us. When fear rises in our hearts, our eyes move off God and onto the troubles around us.

God has not called his people to fear. He has called them to hope with expectation. In the face of immanent destruction, in Isaiah 49, God reminds his people that there is hope. The present does not define the future. God will work his purposes. The world will one day recognize him for who he really is. Philippians 2:10 and Romans 4:11 remind us that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” In Matthew 16:18 Jesus promises, “I will build my church.” The fears threats, and dangers of this world cannot keep God from accomplishing his purpose. Whatever he calls us to face, he has not called us to fear. We can trust him. “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2Tim 1:7).