1But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
3For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
4Others were given in exchange for you.
I traded their lives for yours
because you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.
5“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
I will gather you and your children from east and west.
6I will say to the north and south,
‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
from the distant corners of the earth.
7Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
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Isaiah 43 is such a beautiful love letter by God, our Maker. He called us by name. He said “you are Mine.” When we meditate on these beautiful words of love, it gives us so much comfort, like a child in the Father’s bosom. There is no more reason to fear. Our God, whom we call “Abba Father” is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Why should we fear?
Is Isaiah 43 for Israel only or for Christians too?
First, as believers of Jesus Christ, Christians, we have the Spirit of the Son of God and we call God our “Abba Father” (Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15 ). As a result of the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross, we are justified with God and by His grace, we can now draw near to God and call our Maker, Abba Father.
We belong to God. We belong to our Lord Jesus. In John 10:28-29 Jesus said that no one can snatch us away from Him. In John 10:11 and John 10:16, Jesus expressed how deep His love is for us—He is the good shepherd who sacrificed His life for us. All these verses in the New Testament are further statements of God expressing how deeply He loves us.
All these scriptures are a reinforcement of Isaiah 43–God’s love for us. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, all our sins are forgiven because our Lord Jesus has paid the price for all our sins and His blood has cleansed us from all unrighteousness so that we could receive the Holy Spirit and be united in Christ and call God our Father. From the moment we believe in Him, we belong to Him and there is no need to fear. Jesus said no one can snatch us away from Him. Read these extracted scriptures from Isaiah 43… that’s what our LORD is saying to you. Let His words comfort you today. For Isaiah 43:7, the “them” is replaced with “you” because He created you, for His glory… close your eyes, meditate on these words that Jesus is saying to you and feel His love :
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
You are honored, and I love you.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.
for I have made you for my glory.
It was I who created you.’”
If something is troubling you deeply, why not declare, substitute your name into the scriptures and recite them:
I shall not be afraid, for my Lord Jesus has ransomed me.
God calls [substitute with your name] by name; I belong to Jesus.
My Abba Father honors me, and He loves me.
I shall not be afraid, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is with me.
for the Creator of heaven and earth has made me for His glory.
It was God who created me.’”
If you are reading this and you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, all you need to do is believe that Jesus has sacrificed His life for you so that all your sins are forgiven the moment you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. All it takes is a simple prayer like this:
“Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins so that I can be forgiven and be made right with God forever. I believe and receive you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you that from this moment on, old things have passed away, I am a new creation, I am born again. My life forward from this moment shall be filled with your grace and all heavenly blessings because the Spirit of the Son of God lives in me. Amen.”
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