Isaiah 43
As I was going through all the emotions wrapped in what was written in last week’s blog (read it here), I grabbed my Bible and started reading my devotion for the morning.
It happened to be Isaiah 43, which is a chapter that paints the most beautiful picture of who we are in light of God’s character. I loved it so much, I started digging everywhere for other commentaries and looking at different versions of the text. I love when we can use the resources given to us to dig deeper and research the lessons God taught (and continues to teach) His people. We can often find that these lessons still apply to us today.
So, here’s what I found in the first part of Isaiah 43:
In the chapters leading up to this, Israel is going through major consequences of worshipping their own idols and serving things other than God. The chapters leading up to 43 vividly describe the suffering Israel would have to go through, and Isaiah’s prophecies go deeper into the punishment the people faced. In chapter 43, we see God’s promises to save His people and His continual mercy on them beginning to be spoken.
It begins with “But now.” This “but” shows the beginning of a transition the people would experience from suffering to God’s righteous deliverance for the people of Israel. When Israel gave up their idols, God provided them with what they needed: Him. When we give up the things we place before God, we push aside our distractions and see that He is the One we need above anything else.
The next line tells us not to fear because we have been redeemed.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (vs 1).
It can be easy to let what we fear define us. We let it dictate every action we take and hold us back from the things we want to do.
I need to remind myself of the truth in this verse when I find myself in this place: Christ has REDEEMED me! I was bought with the blood of Jesus. God loves me so much He gave His Son for me and created me with the purpose of being used for His glory. I am HIS. It is His love that sets me free.
I’m free from my fears because I know whose I am and the truth that is in that.
Verse 2 moves on to say,
“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.”
How beautiful is it that we serve a God who is constant and consistent? His promises haven’t failed yet, and they won’t fail now. He is an eternal God. God promises that He will walk with us. He was with us when we went through the hard season, He is with us now in the healing, and He will be with us through the next steps. He has proven so many times that He will protect and guide us on His path when we seek Him.
Trust this and cling to it. We will either drown attempting to stay afloat on our own or be strengthened when we rest and cling to God, our life saver.
The names of God are listed in these verses and show the characteristics of God in these next verses.
“For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior…” (vs 3).
He is great, and He has done great things. Repeat the names of God and who He is and what He has done. It puts into perspective that fear is just a small thing in comparison to a great God. Reflecting on who He is brings peace to any situation and calm to any circumstance.
He is the ultimate One to save the people (vs 11) and He has “revealed and saved and proclaimed” (vs 12). He is God and there is no one else who can do the things He can do. Rest in that next time you’re doubting yourself or your circumstances.
The main reason I studied all this?
There are going to be many times when we listen to our fear and doubt. We’re going to struggle to trust that there is good for the future. There are going to be seasons we walk through where we listen to our frustrations more than we listen to God.
We’ll be tempted to listen to ourselves more than we listen to God. There are times when I’m tempted to find myself in this place, and I need to recognize that I can’t let fear win. Studying scripture helps our heart rest in truth about the character of God and the promises He has for us.
We can see patterns of God’s character and how He follows through on every promise. He gives justice where it’s needed, mercy when it’s not expected and love when we fail Him. He is an eternal God. He is who He says He is- despite the struggles we have and situations we face.
The rest of Isaiah 43 is located here (click “here” to get link to work). Read more about what happened in the chapter with verses 11-25!
One Comment
Karan
Beautiful insight! How are you so wise???