I Am His!

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. 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. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43:1-3

This ancient promise from the book of Isaiah has carried me through some difficult seasons. I have literally hung on every word. Let's look at it together:

the Lord...who created you...who formed you...He knows you intricately. Every part of you!

Fear not... I do not need to fear! No matter what I am facing, no matter how difficult the trial or circumstance, no matter how painful, His word says, Fear not!

I have redeemed you...When I redeem a gift certificate it is with great joy! I have been given something that I do not deserve and have received something that I did not pay for.

I have called you by name; you are mine...At times of great loneliness and despair, I have held onto to the truth that He has called me by name and that I AM HIS!

I will be with you...they shall not overflow you...you shall not be burned...not even scorched... He never promised that his children would never suffer in this life. We will pass through difficult waters of broken relationships and betrayal. We will pass through the rivers of financial hardships and overwhelming circumstances that are beyond our control. We even will walk through the fire which is painful and refining but it will not leave any residue because...

I am the Lord your God...Think of it! The One who engineered this incredible universe - this God is my Lord. Can we imagine that God, who is concerned with so many stupendous things, can possibly be concerned about us? We do imagine it. That is why we turn to him in desperation and cry out, as I do, "O, Lord!" Where else can we possibly turn when we have come to the end of our resources?

He has created, formed, and called you by name. You are His! No matter what you are facing, He has promised to be with you. You will not be swept away or burned up. For He is the Lord your God! Karl Barth, a great theologian, was once asked if he could condense all the theology he had ever written into one simple sentence.

"Yes, " he said, "I can. 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.' "

I am praying for you today!


In Him...Chris

Chris can also be found at her personal blog Come to the Table