Israel's Only Savior
43 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,
Cush 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 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
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,
Cush 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 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
As I was sitting and reading this passage from Isaiah 43 today a few different things really struck me. First is how loved each one of us is. God loves His creation, He loves us and He calls to each of us where we are.
The other thing that stood out to me is that God is with us in the fire and when we feel like we are drowning. So often we hear words of prosperity spoken, as if our own actions and faith will bring great physical reward. As if professing faith will keep us from all harm, or challenges in life.
Quite to the contrary we are told in this life we will have trouble. We are told we will suffer for His name sake. We are never told we get avoid the hard stuff. In fact it's the hard stuff in life that acts as the refiners fire, an opportunity to grow faith and deepen your relationship Christ.
What we see in Isaiah 43 is that our God is with us through it all. He will not allow you to drown in deep water, or be swept away by the current. You may stand in a fire, but you will not be consumed.
Maybe today you feel the current in your life, feeling as if you could be swept away at any moment. Take comfort in His word to you. Be still and know He is God. He will not abandon or forsake you. God knows all your needs and desires and He will provide for you in your weakness.
