Fear Always Asks the Wrong Question
January 8, 2026
Week 2 Focus, Trust under pressure
“The hearts of the king and his people trembled with fear, like trees shaking in a storm…”
“Tell him to stop worrying. Tell him he doesn’t need to fear… those two burned-out embers…” Isaiah 7:2–4
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”2 Timothy 1:7
Break It Down
Judah is under threat and fear spreads fast.
The threat in Isaiah 7 is because of a regional power play that turns into a military threat against Jerusalem. In plain terms:
Assyria is rising fast and swallowing nations.
Two nearby kingdoms, Aram (Syria) and the Northern Kingdom of Israel (often called Ephraim), decide they need a united front to resist Assyria.
They want Judah to join their alliance.
Why Judah is threatened?
King Ahaz of Judah refuses (or won’t fully commit). So Aram and Israel decide to force Judah’s hand. Their plan is essentially:
Invade Judah
Remove Ahaz
Install a puppet king who will cooperate with their alliance (Isaiah 7:6 speaks of setting up “the son of Tabeel”).
So Judah is not merely nervous about general instability, they’re facing a real coalition threat aiming at the leadership and future direction of the nation.
And it’s in this context that we find King Ahaz and the people shaking, not because the danger is imaginary, but because pressure exposes what we’re leaning on.
God sends Isaiah to meet Ahaz at the aqueduct, the water supply, the place of securing resources and controlling outcomes. And God tells Isaiah to bring his son with him, not as a side note, but as part of the message.
Trust Question
Under pressure, what question is fear training you to ask, and what question is God inviting you to ask instead?
God’s Intention
Isaiah’s son is named Shear-jashub, meaning “a remnant will return.” His presence is a living reminder that God is not finished with His people, even when circumstances feel like they are closing in.
Fear collapses time. It only sees the urgent now and asks, “What if this goes wrong, and how do I protect myself?” God widens our horizon and asks, “Will you trust Me with your future, and obey Me in the present?”
Weave It In
This is Week 2, trust under pressure, because pressure is where fear does its loudest preaching. Fear will always push the wrong question to the front, “What if I lose, what if I’m not safe, what if God doesn’t come through?”
But God interrupts the storm with clarity. He doesn’t deny the pressure, He re-names it. He calls the threats “burned-out embers.” In other words, they look fierce, but they do not have the power fear claims they have.
And He does something tender and strong at the same time, He brings a child named “a remnant will return.” It’s as if God is saying, “Ahaz, don’t make a panicked decision that abandons trust. I have a future in My hands. Stand firm with Me today.”
Practice for Today
Replace fear’s question with a better one.
1) Name your pressure in one sentence.
2) Write the question fear keeps asking you.
3) Replace it with: “Father, what does faithfulness look like today?”
4) Take one small step of obedience, even if the pressure remains.
Prayer
Father, when pressure rises I feel the shaking. Fear tries to lead my thoughts and rush my decisions. Today I choose to listen to Your voice.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, power, love, and self-discipline. Teach me to ask the right question, not “What if?” but “Lord, what are You saying, and what are You asking of me today?”
Help me to stand firm with You. I trust You with my future. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.