ISAIAH 41:10

I memorized this verse over 30 years ago and it still comes to mind in the difficult and stressful times in my life. When my daughter was born in 1977 and was just under 2 pounds in weight I remember nights at home when she was still in the incubator in intensive care that when I would say it over and over for hours on end to help calm the fear that I felt especially when alone. God said "Do not fear for I am with you, do not anxiously look about you for I am your God, I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Recently it has come to my attention again, during another time of stress, and now with even more meaning.
Lets look at the five things that God says about himself in relationship to each of us.
One, The God of the entire universe who made me and loves me promises that He is always with me, always near, no matter how bad things are I am never alone as I muddle my way through life's difficulties.
Two, He proclaims that He alone is my God. There is no other. We often seek other people or things as if they had the answers and knew the right way to go. We anxiously look about us for comfort and direction and answers , but only the God is my God, and He is everything that I need.
Three; He promises to make me strong so that I can get through anything, and for me this strength is most readily experienced when times are at the hardest. Paul said, "When I am weak then I am strong" for Gods power is manifest in weakness.
Four; He does help me with comfort that surpasses understanding and with thoughts that help me know how to deal with problems. Yes, God can give us thoughts and great ideas, though we often take the credit ourselves because we imagine they come from ourselves. He helps me supernaturally as I read His Word, but practically as well as I consider the very real life issues that men and women in the bible experienced. Also by the teachings of Jesus, and through the Psalms of David, "a man close to Gods own heart" and from Proverbs by Solomon, who asked God for wisdom when he could have asked for anything.
Five: This is the best. Our righteousness and cleanliness come only from Jesus, and God's right hand is where Jesus is seated. I see God holding us up and beholding us through His son as one would a large and perfect diamond. God does not see us the way we see ourselves. He sees us as perfect and clean, and wonderful. Remember, He made us for His own pleasure, and He desires to love us and look at us and spend time with us. Its hard to believe, but its true. We must not direct our lives by how we feel, but by how God feels about us.
This one verse contains within it in summary form everything that I need to remember about how God deals with me and how he sees me. Try memorizing it and thinking about it and see what God has to say to you