During the years of 1982 through 1992, the Lord had my wife and I living on Isaiah 41:10-20. During those early years we were living in verses 10-13.

" So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

11 "All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.

12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.

13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you" (Isaiah 41:10-13).

There was a lot that was raging against us, and there were plenty opportunities to fear. I am thankful for my wife who just kept meditating and hanging on to these verses.

Now in 1999 the Lord is speaking the rest of Isaiah 41 to us. It talks about supernatural ministry; bringing water to the parched ones in the desert, causing cedar trees to grow in the desert, opening pools of water in the desert and rivers in the desolate heights. This is our current promise for the next few years.

This is not a testimony about our lives. Neither is it a success story for a ministry. It is about God dealing with your life in such a way that will make it useful in His hand.

The Lord cannot use the natural, unbroken talents of our fallen nature to serve Him. Only when we go through trials, fires and circumstances that humble us can the real Spirit of God flow forth from our vessels. Isaiah 66:2 states that God looks for the one who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at His Word.

Isaiah 41 seems to connect the two situations. It starts with God speaking to the one in despair. Then God forms a sharp threshing instrument from that despairing (worm-like) soul. The threshing instrument is used to thresh mountains not wheat. Mountains are obstacles in our lives and in those who are poor and parched.

Isaiah 61, which Jesus used for His mission statement, says the same thing. He takes prisoners and those who are poor and bound, makes them oaks of righteousness and them puts them into a priesthood for the Almighty God. From prisoner to priest.

God has a ministry waiting for you. Do not despise this time of "fear not." God is simply forming an instrument that will cause Him to flow out of your broken clay vessel. The issue is verse Isaiah 41:20b, which says, "That the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it."

Larry Chkoreff, December 30, 1999