Fear

"Shall I bring you to the point of birth and not give delivery?" says the Lord. " Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God. ~Isaiah 66:9

This verse gives me such hope. God is telling the nation of Israel that He would be faithful to her in her deliverance. He is promising that He who has brought them through the pains of childbirth (exile) will complete the good He is doing in their lives. He is reminding them of His faithfulness. The next few verses talk about the joy that Jerusalem will experience after their deliverance. This verse is at the end of the book of Isaiah as a promise following the proclimation of God's judgement. What a comfort these verses must have been to the nation.

And what a comfort this verse can be for me (no I am not at the point of birth, haha). I don't need to fear the hard times in my life, that WILL come, because I know that my God is faithful. He will bring me through difficulty to the joy of deliverance.