When our gateways, our ears and eyes, are open to the news all around us, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the magnitude of the bad news far outweighs the good ones.  When we are consumed by the reality of what we see and hear, it is just but norm for fear to have a grip on us.  BUT God Who is abounding in love fashioned us to be peculiar and gave us the free will to choose, to choose to hear and see bad news that makes us fearful or to choose to hear the GOOD NEWS to be in faith?  To have a choice is a gift and if we choose LIFE, then we will see LIFE! 

Our God, Who is rich in mercy, has perfectly designed a perfect antidote to fear brought by what we see and hear.  As we incline our ears to hear that GOOD NEWS is here, then it leads us to freedom and victory!

“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 name; You are Mine.”  Isaiah 43:1 NKJV

This verse has a lot of gems and treasures in it.  It is indeed bringing forth the GOOD NEWS!  It is giving us HOPE, a joyful and confident expectation of good because we have a GOOD, GOOD Father.

When God CREATED and FORMED you, that only means one thing … that He is responsible for you!  He MADE you and has KNOWN you inside out.  He LIVES in you.  He LOVES and LIKES you.  He is with you ALWAYS, then who can separate you from Him and His love?  Think about that!  It is a radical truth that even if you and I don’t believe it, it doesn’t change the way He created, formed and loved us.  He isn’t intimidated by our thoughts of Him but He is fully committed to reveal His thoughts towards us that is more than the sand in the sea.

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with you.”  Psalm 139:17-18 NKJV

I used to wonder the wonder of His thoughts towards me.  I used to ask Him, “What thoughts do yo have in mind about me, Lord?”  Duhhhh … open the Bible and see!  His thoughts of us are higher than our own thoughts about ourselves.  His thoughts that are written about us are our foundational truths!  They are our plumb lines!  They are our anchors when our thoughts wander far away from how He thinks about us.  Yet, it is still a choice that we have to make … TO BELIEVE OR NOT TO BELIEVE!

“FEAR NOT, for I have redeemed you!” Isaiah 43:1 (first line)

To redeem means to buy back, repurchase, reform, repair, restore, retrieve and rescue.  Or it could be to exchange!  The good news is … Jesus PAID such a steep price for you and me to set us free from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.  When He shed His blood, suffered and died at the cross and cried out “IT IS FINISHED!”, there was a powerful divine exchange that happened!  He died that you and I may HAVE and ENJOY a “heaven-on-earth” life.  He didn’t promise a problem-free life, but what He promised was that IN HIM WE MAY HAVE PEACE!  He said, “in this world you will have trouble.  BUT TAKE HEART!  I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)  I love what the Amplified version says, “I have told you these things, so that IN ME you may have [PERFECT] peace.  In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but BE COURAGEOUS [BE CONFIDENT, BE UNDAUNTED, BE FILLED WITH JOY]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

God already had in mind solutions before problems pop up!  He simply said, “IN ME you may have PEACE!”  When I read this, it felt like these words became enlarged under a magnifying lens!  It speaks of intimacy, our constant and consistent connectedness to Jesus, Who is our Prince of PEACE!  You see, God is a very responsible creator and maker, having said these words.

Why do manufacturers of gadgets and appliances have a “troubleshoot” portion in their manuals?  It is because they have already anticipated glitches with the machine or device and what they want is for consumers to be confident that when these things come up, they know where to run and who to call to.  Right?

His written Word is our manual in life.  When something goes wrong with us, we RUN TO GOD!  We run to the One who fearfully and wonderfully made us.  We run to His Word of promises!  We read, meditate, think, understand, speak and declare .. and we will SEE His goodness displayed right before our very eyes!

Remember this … “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.  It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”  2 Timothy 3:16

“I have called you BY NAME ..” (Isaiah 43:1 (second line)

Our heavenly Father is a very personal God and He calls us BY NAME!  He singles us out in the midst of a multitude, calling us out BY NAME!  Our relationship is NOT generic but very specific. He desires to be involved in every area of our lives, in everything that we think and do.  His plan and purpose for each one of us is so unique and is cut out for only one … YOU!  After He created you, He threw the mold away!  No one has irises and fingerprints like you do!  There is no one in the world like you so there shouldn’t be any reason comparing yourself with someone else.  God’s plan is so huge that everyone has a part in it WITHOUT overlaps.  A revelation like this will put you and I in confidence and security that rules out comparison that only brings insecurity.  Look to Jesus and you will SURELY be secured in your identity!

“You are MINE.” Isaiah 43:1 (third line)

We always long and love to belong to someone.  That’s how He created us to be.  But unless we know that we are to belong to HIM first, there will always be that void in our hearts searching, yearning and longing for that void to be filled.

IN HIM, we are eternally HIS!  IN HIM, we are eternally accepted!  IN HIM, we are eternally loved!  IN HIM, we are eternally protected!   IN HIM, we are eternally secure!  IN HIM, we are eternally complete and whole.  It is eternally good to belong to our ONE TRUE GOD Who is altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful and altogether committed to you and me.

When we walk in this secure identity IN HIM, only then we can demonstrate Who He is in us to those around us.  We cannot love others with His love without being loved by HIM FIRST.  We simply cannot give what we do not have!

With all these revelations considered, received and believed on WHO WE ARE IN HIM and WHO HE IS TO US, then everything else follows!  Everything else is added unto us that …

“When we 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 ONLY ONE OF ISRAEL, YOUR SAVIOR ..”  Isaiah 43:2-3

 

Photo Credits:  Joana Caoleng