For I Have Redeemed You
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Isaiah 43:1-7
1. 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. 2. 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. 3. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4. 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. 5. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7. every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
I certainly find comfort in these words. It almost takes my breath away to read them. This week has been punctuated with sorrows and grief--for some in our church family, across the country, and around the world. So much sadness. So many hurting people. And some days at work I sit back and take a deep, deliberate breath to release the wounded-ness of those who call for help -- I have said that sometimes it feels like a vast sea of humanity calling out for relief and help. That’s when God steps in. That’s when he offers us these words from Isaiah. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
In these verses, God claims us as His own in no uncertain terms. His words are deliberate, intentional and also lovingly reassuring. “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” He established his authority as our creator, reminds us of His working in the lives of our “ancestors in faith,” and points us to Christ, all in one sentence! When life becomes overwhelming; when the world just seems to be spinning out of control, we may turn to worldly ways of soothing ourselves. But we need to remember that nothing on this earth will last -- only God. And we need to turn to him, turn it all over to him.
As I type these words I feel the weight of the world lifting off my shoulders. Not that I don’t mourn with our church family; not that I don’t feel bad for those starving in Africa, or for the Iraqi people and the American soldiers and civilians working so hard, and risking their lives for freedom. Not that I don’t care or want to help make this world a better place. This morning I am finding I need to give it all over to the God who created us for his glory and purpose. I ask him to reveal to me what I can do in my small way, in my little part of the world to bring about his kingdom.
And I am learning to wait on him. It’s a hard lesson, as I am a “fixer” by nature. I want to right every wrong, bring reconciliation to every rift, relieve every burden borne by others. That can be exhausting! So I am turning this world and all of God’s people over to his love and care this morning. He never grows weary, his shoulder are big enough and his love is deep enough to get us through every situation. It’s a challenging lesson for me, and I don’t doubt I’ll try to take it all back more than once today! But I am told that awareness is the beginning of the solution.
Not much could be added to these words from Isaiah. I cannot think of being comforted more than to be told by God “Fear not, for I am with you.”
My prayer today is that you will join me in turning over every difficulty, challenge, or struggle in your life to the God of Israel, our Lord and Savior. And that you will keep giving it back to him, every time you feel that knot in your stomach, that stiffness in your shoulders, or any other sign your body tells you what your heart already understands!
Mary
