When was the last time you read in the Bible that God commanded us to live in fear? Not the reverent fear of God, but when did He ever tell us to be afraid of our circumstances, our health status, our bank balance, our world? Let me help you out. The answer is... NEVER! I have read the Bible all the way through every year, (this is my seventh year) and there is not ever, not even one single time where God ever tells us to be fearful.
I have read so many posts on Instagram today where people are talking about feeling depressed, oppressed, down, discouraged, losing hope, and feeling awful. For many people living in this day and age, they feel despair, desperate, and fearful. I want to share what the Bible says in Isaiah.
ISAIAH 43:1-2 (1)But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. (2)When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
This is a beautiful passage, isn't it? Imagine God our Father who has created us and He made us, forming and fashioning us in our mothers' wombs (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 119:73, Psalm 139:16). He calms us as He says, "Don't be afraid. I have won you back, bought you with a price and I have called you by name. You are Mine. You belong to Me and You have this promise that even though you may feel like You are drowning in your situation, you may feel like the rivers are too deep and too wide for you to cross, I will be with you and they will not take you under. When you walk through the fire in the heat of the battle and all hell comes against you, you will not be burned and the flames will not even touch you." What a promise! And He keeps that promise. As we put our hand in His, He keeps His Word. When the enemy comes in like a flood, He will raise up a standard against it (Isaiah 59:19). When we feel like we are in the fiery furnace of trials, He is walking in the midst of it with us.
The children of Israel saw God keep this promise as He parted the Red Sea and they walked across on dry land, but their enemies were drowned (Exodus 14:22, 28). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced the truth of this passage when they found themselves walking around in the blazing hot furnace and they were not burned. The fourth Man was in the flames walking with them, it was the very Son of God (Daniel 3:17, 25). They did not even smell of smoke when the king ordered the men to come out of the flames (Daniel 3:27).
Keep reading this chapter in Isaiah. Do you see how much He loves us? We are precious in His sight. He created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). He is wooing us to Himself. He loves us (1 John 4:19). He redeemed us. He saved us and He keeps us. What more do we want Him to do?
ISAIAH 43:10-12 (10)Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. (11)I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour. (12)I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
We are His witnesses, too. He has chosen us to serve Him, that we may know and believe in Him. We understand who He is. He is God alone. There was no God made before Him and there will never be a God made after Him. He alone is the LORD and He is the Savior of the world. Jesus is the Savior. No other name given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). He has declared and saved and shown His power. He proved Himself to us over and over. He is powerful and wonderful and mighty to save and there is no other God. We are His witnesses.
Keep reading and you will see that He makes a way in the sea and mighty waters. He causes mighty armies to become extinct. We must look back, reflect on all the times He came through for us, all the times He heard and answered prayers, the miracles He performed, the healing He gave, the times He mended our broken hearts and gave us beauty for ashes. Now He is going to do something new. He is going to take the dry, deserted areas of our life and cause fresh water to flow. He is about to bring healing, hydration, and satisfaction to every burned up, dusty dream He has ever given us. We will show His praise among the nations because of the wonderful ways He has blessed our lives.
Will we do it? Will be live in the freedom and liberty He has given us? Will we turn away from the free gifts He is handing us? Will we ignore His call? Will we try to keep doing life on our own terms? Will we keep sinning and expect Him to turn the other way, to give us a free pass because we are His children? In verse 25 He said, "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Are we sorry? Do we have a heart of repentance? Are we ready to turn back to Him?
We do not have to live in fear. In fact, He tells us not to live that way. We are to put our footsteps in His and walk with the Master all of the time (Luke 9:23). When life gets too hard and we do not see clearly the path in front of us, we must walk by faith and trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:7). We have to stop leaning on our own understanding and just trust Him to meet our needs and help us face every difficulty with grace and mercy and peace (Proverbs 3:5-6). Are you ready?
I hope something I have shared this weekend has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.
~Bridgett Owens
No comments:
Post a Comment