Isaiah 43:1-3
But
now, this is what the Lord
says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
At the time these words were given through
Isaiah, the children of Israel were in Babylonian captivity. We probably could
not understand all the difficulties associated with being held captive, as
individuals and as a nation of people.
Even though these people had a history of unfaithfulness to God, always
leading them to troublesome times, the verses above are words of assurance from
God who continues to love them.
Comforting words are always appreciated
when we are in trouble. None could be more comforting than words like, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you:
I have summoned you by name; you are mine." While I can only speak for myself, I hope you
can sense during difficult times in your life, you also would welcome the
message from God that he knows your trouble, he cares, and he claims you as
belonging to him. That is the message
God longs for us to grasp in faith, no matter how dismal our situation. It
doesn't even matter to him that most of our problems are the result of our own
doing.
While those words from Isaiah 43:1 bring
assurance from a God who loves us, verse 2 gives us a glimpse of the great
degree of that love. Spoken in a way
that there will be no doubt, God wanted them to know his presence is with them
when they pass through the waters.
Further, when they pass through the rivers, they will not be overtaken,
and when they walk through the fire, they will not be burned. The flames will
not set them on fire.
Perhaps we can visualize our difficult
times, like Israel's, as devastating as passing through rushing water, forging
the force of a river swollen out of its banks, or even walking through fire,
surrounded by flames that could bring our demise. God says, these things shall not overtake
you.
The first part of verse 3 was the promise
to Israel, and now to us. "For I am the Lord your God, the Holy
One of Israel, your Savior." Trust in his promises through all your
times of trouble.
<ronbwriting@yahoo.com>
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