The Lord says: "Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. Whatever you are going through at the moment, look to Me and put your trust in Me. For I will know how to strengthen you, help you, and uphold you with My righteous right hand."
The Lord says further: "If My hand is with you, you have nothing to fear. For I will know how to clear the way for you and make a way for you."
In Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV), the Lord says, "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
The words 'right hand' here in Hebrew is 'yamiyn'. In the context here, this is 'the right hand of the Lord', and it indicates His strength, or He being stronger than the situation or circumstance around you.
In Isaiah 41:13 (NKJV), the Lord says, "For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'"
I know Isaiah 41 is talking about the assurance of God's help for Israel. But to apply this verse for you today, it can also speak of the assurance of God's help in your life who is in effect the spiritual Israel!
In Isaiah 41:18-19 (NKJV), the Lord says, "I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine and the box tree together..."
This, of course, can be literal, and can be symbolic.
The expression "I will open rivers in desolate heights" here speaks of the Lord your God sends miraculous supplies of water from His heavenly resources, even in barren places. In your context, He knows how to miraculously supply all that you need to complete all that God has spoken for you to do on this earth!
The expression "I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and acacia trees" here speaks of the Lord your God can make barren places fruitful and full of beautiful forests. It means He can take the most 'barren' or 'wilderness' situation or circumstance of yours, and turn it into 'beautiful forests'! In other words, He will know how to plant 'forests' even in the most 'barren' or 'wilderness' land of yours! He will know how to plant good things in your life, even in the most 'barren' or 'wilderness' situation or circumstance of yours!
In Isaiah 41:20 (NKJV), the Lord then says "...that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it."
Hallelujah!
Is there anything too difficult for God? No!
Is there anything hard for God? No!
Is His hand so short that He cannot help you and make a way for you? No, of course!
And if the hand of the Lord is with you, nothing is impossible, and there's nothing that cannot be done!
Now, this word 'hand' here in Isaiah 41:20 is 'yad' in Hebrew, and it speaks of 'the open hand of God, indicating the power of God and the direction of God'.
You see? The power of God, and the direction of God!
So, whatever your situation or circumstance may be at the moment, even if it is a very difficult or seemingly impossible situation, let the powerful hand of the Lord destroy all those burdens, bondages, and hindrances in your life! And let the directing hand of the Lord lead the way and give you the direction that you need, going forward!
Let's go to Nehemiah 2:18 now, in cross-reference to Isaiah 41:20.
Nehemiah 2:18 (NKJV) says, 'And I (Nehemiah) told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me, and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So the people said, "Let us rise up and build." Then they set their hands to this good work.'
By that time, Nehemiah and the people of Israel had already returned to the city of Jerusalem. They saw the shattered walls of Jerusalem. They saw rubbish and ruins everywhere. And they saw the terrible state of the situation in the city of Jerusalem.
But God! The hand of the Lord was upon Nehemiah. So he spoke all the above to the people of Israel, and he spoke how the hand of the Lord was good upon him. The people then responded by saying, "Let us rise up and build." And that's how they began to set their hands to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
However, after that, Nehemiah 2:19-20 (NKJV) says, 'But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it (i.e. hearing of Nehemiah and the people of Israel planning to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem), they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?" So I (Nehemiah) answered them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."'
Now, we can learn a lot from Nehemiah. If God has put in your heart to do something, focus not on the mockers, but focus on what God says! And that's what Nehemiah did!
See what happened not long after that. Nehemiah 4:7-8 (NKJV) says, 'Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry, and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion.'
You see, sometimes when you are doing the right things, and you are doing what God has put in your heart to do, there may be people who are angry with you and offended by you. They may conspire against you, attack you, or create confusion against you. They may stir up bad gossips against you and try to pull your name down. I tell you what, learn again from Nehemiah. Your part is to stay focused on what God has spoken for you to do, till the very end!
Let's continue with Nehemiah 6:15-16 (NKJV), 'So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days. And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.'
For the record, the whole rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem was completed in just 52 days! Now, this was a feat even the enemies of God's people must have attributed it must be God, it must be God's hand, and it must be God's enabling!
So, be comforted, my friends, if you have been going through a difficult time at the moment. Keep looking to the Lord. Keep putting all your trust in the Lord. Keep trusting that His hand will be with you to clear the way for you and guide you.
No matter what, stay true to His calling, plans and purposes for your life. Follow His instructions faithfully. Follow His blueprints that He has given to you faithfully. And the Lord will be with you till the very end. Just like Nehemiah!
After all, the name 'Nehemiah' ('Nekhem Yah' in Hebrew) means 'Comfort of YAH' or 'Consolation of YAH'. And YAH (short form for the name of the Lord, YHWH) will see to it that He will help you, strengthen you, and uphold you with His righteous right hand! Hallelujah!
