Throughout the scriptures, God does not promise that nothing bad is coming. Quite the opposite. For example, the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah assumes there will be overwhelming waters and consuming fire. The promise isn’t that these things won’t happen. It’s: “When you pass through danger, suffering, and the hardest of times, I will be with you.” Maybe that’s the word we need: Neither that our fears are groundless or irrational, nor that things will eventually work out the way we want, but that fear doesn’t get the last word on who we are, who’s with us, or what the future holds.
Based on Isaiah 43:1–3
One:
But now, thus says the Lord,
the One who created you,
the One who formed you,
the One who calls you by name:
All:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
One:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we fear that we are alone,
when hardship comes and we wonder who will notice,
who will come when we call,
who will help bear what we cannot carry alone:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we fear that the bonds of common life are coming apart,
when neighbors feel like strangers,
when suspicion replaces welcome,
when we cannot imagine how we will hold together:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we fear that there is no one we can trust,
when leaders fail us,
when institutions meant to serve and protect us do harm,
when truth itself feels difficult to recognize:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we are overwhelmed by the weight of distrust,
when we feel that we must watch every danger,
verify every claim,
and protect ourselves from every possible failure:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we fear that our shared life is disintegrating,
when public life feels cruel and divided,
when common purpose gives way to private survival,
when the future feels less like something we shape together
and more like something that happens to us:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we are tempted to make fear our guide,
when we withdraw from one another,
when we seek someone to blame,
when we mistake suspicion for wisdom
and self-protection for safety:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we stand in the wilderness of uncertainty,
when familiar practices change and communities diminish,
when the old ways no longer sustain us,
when the future of our homes, congregations, and neighborhoods feels uncertain,
when the road ahead is hidden:
All:
God is with us.
One:
When we face the limits of our own strength,
when we cannot repair every wound,
restore every trust,
or carry every burden:
All:
God is with us.
Closing
One:
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
All:
God is with us.
All:
Holy One of Israel, our Savior,
make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Teach us to trust your presence.
Make us a people of courage, compassion,
and shared hope;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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