But now, thus says the Lord, your creator, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel, do not fear, 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 will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. Isaiah 43:1-2
What a comforting passage for us in this fearful time. God created us, God formed us. And because He created us, He owns us. This is really insulting to the natural man who wants to be independent, who wants to stand on his own two feet and make it on his own. God owns me? Give me a break. That’s disgusting for the natural man. But for God’s children, those who have been restored and brought into the family, the fact that God owns us and says you are Mine is really the only source of comfort in this dark world. Not only with the darkness of an unknown virus with huge ramifications, but the darkness of the reality of the continued opposition of evil against the people of God.
But God says in Isaiah 43, and this is God speaking: I have called you how? By name! Come Jeff to Me! Not come generically to Me, come personally to Me. You are Mine. This is what we learned in the sermon last week, we belong to Jesus Christ. And only with our eyes fixed on Him can we walk by the Spirit, only then can we obey the command to not fear in verse 1 of Isaiah 43.
And because we are the Lord’s possession, and we are His treasured possession, He’s not going to lose us! Nothing will ever separate us from His love. Nothing. No one. This is the hope of verse 2 of Isaiah 43. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. And of course this is a metaphor for His complete, final and forever spiritual protection. We are safe in Jesus Christ. So this verse has really encouraged me to keep my eyes on the Lord during this time. One thing is certain, as we’re going to find out in Galatians chapter 6, we need each other during this hard road home to heaven.
Pastor Jeff