Scripture:
Isaiah 43:1-12 NKJV
[1] But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. [2] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. [3] For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. [4] Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. [5] Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; [6] I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— [7] Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.” [8] Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears. [9] Let all the nations be gathered together, And let the people be assembled. Who among them can declare this, And show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.” [10] “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. [11] I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there is no savior. [12] I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the Lord, “that I am God.
Observation:
I was watching the TV series, “The Chosen” over the weekend. I have seen it several times and honestly don’t really watch much TV. But if I’m going to, I want to watch things that glorify the LORD. In fact that’s the reason I stopped watching TV altogether. There just wasn’t much that brought glory to GOD. As I began to watch the seasons from the beginning, these verses were brought to my mind. I couldn’t help but dive into them. My desire is that the LORD consume my life. To tell the truth I believe he has, and honestly as I am writing this and listening to worship music, a song just came on that confirms that this is the right topic for this morning. HE knows my name. This portion of scripture is a powerful reminder of just that. It speaks of comfort and redemption. So as we dive in let’s pay close attention to not only who we are but whose we are, as well. The LORD had chosen to speak through the prophet Isaiah, as the words came to him he wrote them down. I picture him not just writing them down but proclaiming them over Israel as well. Reminding them that they were created by HIM, formed by HIS hands for a specific purpose. The word formed is important; it means that HE took time and shaped the adding and taking away things that were needed and not needed. HE made them with purpose, every aspect of how they are made will serve to further HIS plan, all the way down to the name. If we have spent any time in the bible we may already know that Jacob’s name was changed to Israel after a wrestling match with the LORD that left him walking with a limp for the rest of his life. The name Israel means, “One who wrestles with GOD.” As the LORD continues to speak through Isaiah, HE wants to bring reassurance to HIS chosen people that they will be protected. As verse 1 explains who, and whose they are, verse 2 begins to express that they will face things that may seem overwhelming, but will not overtake them, because they have HIS divine hand of protection, “ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” This is a powerful reminder of how HE had delivered them up to this point. Walking across the Red Sea on dry ground, crossing over the river Jordan, it also seems to be a prophetic statement as to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, due to the fact that Isaiah was written before the book of Daniel. Nonetheless what we see is the promise of redemption and ownership, and unfailing presence in the face of what looks like a crisis. Reminding them of exactly who HE is as HE continues to speak to them through Isaiah, “The Holy one of Israel, your savior.” Putting others to rest for their sake. They are precious to HIM, honored and loved. All these things were said to remove one thing… fear. In these 12 verses the phrase Fear not is stated more than once. Now this may just be the way I think; but I believe that if GOD tells us something we need to pay attention to it, if HE says it more than once we need to zero in on it, but if HE says it repeatedly we need to never let it slip our mind. The phrase “Fear not,” or “Do not fear,” of some form of that phrase is used 365 times in the bible. I say that to bring out the importance of being bold and courageous in the face of trials. Fear should not be a part of our lives unless it is a reverent fear of the LORD. Now as we move forward, we are reminded that GOD is a GOD of restoration and again Fear should not be what we stand on. Israel had been scattered to the 4 corners of the earth. So GOD’S promise was to bring them back together; everyone who had been called by HIS name would be brought back from where they had been scattered to. Redemption and restoration, spoken over HIS chosen people, and all for one purpose. To be HIS witnesses, to serve as a catalyst for HIS plan. As HE begins to bring this prophetic statement to an end this morning HE reminds us that HE is the one true GOD the only one who makes promises that come true, all other so called gods amount to nothing. HIS promises are yes and amen, What HE says HE will do, there should be no question in our minds about that.
Application:
I am hoping that by now you hear your name being called. If you find yourself reading this, what I want you to know is that you are HIS, it doesn’t matter what you are facing. HE has called you out by name. As I was writing that statement one verse came to my mind, Philippians chapter 1 and verse 6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that HE who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” I know it gets heavy, and sometimes it looks like we will never reach the point that we believe GOD wants us to get to. All the trials seem to overwhelm us. What I want you to know today is that all the overwhelming situations will not overtake you, GOD’S hand of protection is over you. You are called by HIS name, and although it may appear as though HE is not paying attention… HE will never leave you nor will HE forget about you. That’s a promise HE has made, a promise you can stand on. Over that past several months and honestly if I look back, I could say most of my life I can see how the enemy did his best to convince me that the LORD had either forgotten about me or had left me out for the wolves. But that just is not the case. HE has called us all by HIS name. The term Christian was coined in early 40 AD. It was put together as a mockery of those who follow Christ, an insult so to speak, that was instead embraced by those who followed Jesus. Now let’s just think about that. What the enemy meant for evil GOD turned into good. What was meant to mock GOD’S followers became a prophetic statement that makes a difference. Being called a Christian is being called by HIS name. Now you are being called out by yours. Wherever you are in life GOD is with you. HE has not left you. Look to HIM, search HIS word, the answer you are seeking is right there. HIS promises are yes and amen, HE is not about to leave you where you are, listen closely do you hear HIM calling your name. It’s not the shout, or the scream, it’s the still small whisper. The one you have to tune your ear to hear. If you are in the middle of the river and it seems too much for you… HE is not done, if it’s getting hot in the furnace, HE is right there with you and you will come out unscathed. You are HIS, you are chosen, you are redeemed, set free, and overcomer, not left undone, victorious through Christ, you will make it to the other side. Just remember that HE will never leave you where you are. HE said follow me, only once did HE say to stay here and wait, and that was for the promised Holy Spirit, our guide to the other side, you are chosen, called by HIS name. Embrace that fact and remove the fear of your situation. Standing on HIS promises. HE will never leave you begging for bread.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you are bigger than anything we face, and we thank you for the fact that you are not a man that you should lie. What you say will happen, because you said we will not be left to beg bread we can stand on that. Your grace is more than enough. Its enough to shape us, redeem us and move us through whatever we are going through and leave us unharmed. What a mighty GOD you are. As we see your promises being fulfilled, as you draw us closer and closer to what you have in store, show us your provisions and protection. All we want is to be in your presence. That is our ultimate desire. Use us, move us to the other side and allow us to learn as painlessly as possible. As you refine us we know that you will be with us in every step. Thank you for your protection and provision. We know that we are your. You have called us out by our name to be your witnesses. Thank you Father. Its in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen.