October 16 - Do not be dismayed

But you, Israel, are My servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
The descendants of Abraham My friend.
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,
And called from its farthest regions,
And said to you,
‘You are My servant,
I have chosen you and have not cast you away:
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.’

Isaiah 41: 8-10 (NKJV)

Thought for Today: Do you feel dismayed by your circumstances?  The word dismay can be traced to the common Latin word exmagare, which means divest of power or ability.  So often, we can feel powerless in our circumstances, unable to fix things.  We can only come to a true place of strength and of peace when we realize that our job is not to fix the things in our lives that are not right.  Our job is to trust the One who calls us to be His, relying fully upon Him to sustain us.  He knows your circumstances, He knows your pain.  Will you give those to Him today in complete surrender, trusting in Him alone?