FSMBC 6/28/2026 - Remember God In The Hard Times

Jesus receives what is broken, fearful, anxious, and insecure when human hands cannot fix what only God can fix. Isaiah 43 opens with God speaking through Isaiah to a people facing hard, fearful days before captivity, yet God tells them to remember Him in the hard times. The text does not say if trouble comes, but when the waters rise, when the rivers threaten, and when the fire burns. God tells His people that hard times are not strange, but His presence is sure.

Isaiah reminds Israel that real hope and lasting peace cannot be found in this world, in possessions, or even in the people most loved in this life. God gives His Word and His Holy Spirit to carry His children through the storms that shake them and rattle them until He has their attention. Storms can deepen faith because storms produce perseverance, and perseverance lets the child of God see the Spirit at work doing God’s will.

Verse one calls the fearful heart to remember who God is. God is Creator, Redeemer, and the One who calls His people by name. The One who formed Jacob and Israel knows every strand of hair, controls everything, and has not abandoned His people when violence, fear, uncertainty, family trouble, sickness, or world events press in.

The same verse calls God’s people to remember who they are in Him. God says, “You are mine.” God owns His people twice, as Creator and Redeemer, and His ownership is personal. The child of God is not defined by feelings, emotions, confusion, or what other people say, but by belonging to the King.

Verse two calls the church to remember His promises. God promises presence, protection, and peace. He is not limited by time and space, not tired of hearing from His children, and not annoyed by their neediness. The cry “I need thee” belongs at His feet every hour, every minute, every second.

Verse four calls attention to God’s promised love. God says His people are precious, honored, and loved. That love finds its fullest display in Jesus Christ, the only way to the Father. Christ came, healed, suffered, died at Calvary, took the wrath and judgment of God, rose with all power, and now stands as the true object of faith. Hard times are not the object of faith. Fear is not the object of faith. Circumstances are not the object of faith. Jesus is.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God knows His children by name God’s care is not vague, distant, or generic. Isaiah’s word says the Creator is also the Redeemer, and the Redeemer calls His people personally. A fearful heart is steadied when identity rests not in emotion, status, or trouble, but in the God who says, “You are mine.” [74:15]
• 2. Neediness belongs at His feet God is not annoyed by the needy cry of His children. The prayer “I need thee” is not spiritual weakness, but honest dependence in a fallen world where fear and anxiety press hard. The soul that comes broken, scared, and exposed finds that God is always present and ready to give peace. [83:02]
• 3. Promises steady hard-time hearts Isaiah’s “when” means trouble is expected, but not ultimate. Waters, rivers, and fire may be real, yet God’s presence and protection are more real still. The promise does not deny pain, but it keeps pain from becoming lord over the heart. [84:59]
• 4. Jesus is the true object Faith is not meant to stare at hard times, fear, temptation, or circumstances. Faith looks to Jesus, who was lifted high, stretched wide, crucified, buried, and raised with all power. The cross and resurrection give the suffering believer more than inspiration, they give a living Lord who can turn life around. [101:09]
• 5. Maturity refuses fear’s prison Fear, anxiety, and insecurity can become a prison when the mind is not being transformed by God’s Word. Spiritual maturity does not pretend panic is unreal, but it remembers who God is, who His child is, and what God has promised. The heart that trusts Him sends fear back to Him instead of trying to fix what only God can fix. [107:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [60:40] - Send the Broken Things to Jesus
• [63:05] - Isaiah 43 and Hard Times
• [65:44] - Hope This World Cannot Give
• [68:37] - Storms That Deepen Faith
• [73:44] - Remember Who God Is
• [75:37] - Remember Who You Are in Him
• [79:40] - Remember His Promises
• [84:59] - Presence, Protection, and Love
• [88:16] - Jesus, the Only Way to God
• [93:39] - Remember Calvary and Resurrection
• [102:44] - Trusting God Instead of Panic
• [109:11] - Invitation to Salvation and Restoration

Bible Reading

Isaiah 43:1-5
“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 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. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.’” [01:03:46]

2 Timothy 1:7
“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” [01:02:11]

John 14:6
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” [01:31:35]

John 16:33
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [01:32:24]

Observation questions

1. In Isaiah 43:1, what names and titles does God use for Himself, and what does He say He has done for His people? [01:14:13]
2. In Isaiah 43:2, what hard situations are named, and what repeated promise is attached to those situations?
3. What words in Isaiah 43:4 describe how God sees His people? [01:26:43]
4. In John 16:33 and Isaiah 43:2, what words show that trouble is expected rather than unusual? [01:11:11]

Interpretation questions

1. Isaiah 43 says, “I have called you by name, you are mine.” What does that say about identity when fear, insecurity, and confusion are pressing in? [01:16:22]
2. Isaiah 43:2 does not promise the absence of waters, rivers, or fire. How does that shape the way believers should think about suffering and God’s faithfulness? [01:25:15]
3. God’s people are called precious, honored, and loved, and that love is seen fully in Jesus Christ. How does the cross make God’s love more than a comforting idea? [01:36:04]
4. Jesus says He is the only way to the Father. Why is it important to be clear that faith must rest in Jesus Himself, not merely in a general belief in God? [01:31:35]

Application questions

1. What is one broken, anxious, or fearful thing that keeps coming back into the heart lately? What would it look like this week to truly lay that thing at Jesus’ feet instead of trying to fix what only God can fix? [01:00:42]
2. When fear starts rising, what truth needs to be remembered first: who God is, who belongs to Him, or what He has promised? Why does that one need to be brought back to mind right now? [01:13:49]
3. God is not annoyed by the needy cry of His children. Is there any hesitation to pray honestly and often? What might change if “I need Thee” became a daily prayer instead of a last resort? [01:23:02]
4. Hard times can become a prison when the mind is ruled by panic. Where has fear been acting like a prison lately, and what would sending that fear back to God actually look like in prayer, Scripture, and trusted fellowship? [01:47:19]
5. The object of faith is not fear, pain, temptation, or circumstances, but Jesus. What usually gets the most attention in hard times: Christ or the crisis? How can the eyes be turned back to Jesus in a practical way this week? [01:41:20]
6. God’s promises include presence, protection, and peace, not a trouble-free life. Which promise is most needed right now, and how could that promise be held onto in a concrete way over the next few days? [01:24:59]
7. Storms can deepen faith and produce perseverance. Looking back, can anyone name a hard season where God used trouble to grow endurance, change thinking, or make His presence more real? [01:09:44]