Trembling with Fear like Trees Shaking in a Storm

Have you ever found yourself in a situation, or received news that gripped you with fear, and found yourself trembling like trees shaking in a storm? I know, I have! Isaiah Chapter 7 talks about how king Ahaz of Judah felt when he heard the news that Syria had teamed up with Israel against Judah. When he heard the news, his heart trembled with fear like a tree shaking in a storm. He went off by himself, far away from everyone.

In that solitary place, God saw him exactly where he was, alone, stressed out with fear, not knowing what to do, or what to tell his people, let alone knowing how to encourage them. It’s fascinating that, when God sent Isaiah with a message to encourage king Ahaz, God gave precise details of King Ahaz’ location, like a GPS address in our modern world. God didn’t leave out even the tiniest details for finding where King Ahaz was. ‘Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Take your son Shear-jashub and go out to meet King Ahaz. You will find him at the end of the aqueduct that feeds water into the upper pool, near the road leading to the field where cloth is washed”’ (Isaiah 7:3).

There is nowhere in the Universe where we can be where God isn’t aware of our location. Nathaniel was shocked to find out that Jesus knew him even before they met (John 1:48). Jesus told Nathaniel that He had seen him under the fig tree, before Philip found him. To some, it can be a scary thought that God sees us exactly where we are, probably because of misconceptions and misrepresentations of who God is, His character and nature. But to others, it’s a comforting thought.

You might feel as though God doesn’t know where you are. You might doubt whether He sees you, or knows what you’re going through. You might even feel He doesn’t care about you or what is happening to you. The fact that you might not have heard God speaking to you doesn’t mean He is not concerned about you, nor the situation that is making you tremble like a tree in storm.

God didn’t speak directly to King Ahaz. He spoke through His prophet Isaiah. God might be encouraging you through unexpected avenues, even a ‘seed’ like this. God knows where you are and your surroundings, down to the smallest detail. This shows how much you matter to Him. He sees you and knows what is troubling you. He knows what report you have received, like King Ahaz, which has made you run away in panic. The Lord is saying the same thing to you today as He did to King Ahaz through Isaiah. “Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear the fierce anger of those two burned-out embers, King Rezin of Syria and Pekah son of Remaliah” (Isaiah 7:4). I echo those same words to you today “Stop worrying, you don’t need to fear!”

King Ahaz saw king of Israel and king of Syria as powerful kings who could attack and capture Jerusalem, which was probably true. But, through the eyes of God, they were ‘burned-out embers’. We need to take courage and find refuge in the Lord, and whatever makes us tremble will become dim, when seen through the eyes of the Lord.

The message of the Lord to King Ahaz ends with God challenging his faith. “Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” It requires faith to stand firm in God’s truth, and listen to what He’s saying when all you see is defeat, and strong kings ready to attack you. It takes faith to see the things that are making you tremble as “burned-out embers”. Allow faith to drown out fear.