◄ What Does Isaiah 43:1 Mean? ►

Now this is what the Lord says- the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel- "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.

Isaiah 43:1(HCSB)

Verse of the Day

Despite Israel's unbelief and apostasy God has never forsaken His people, and we read of many instances where God told them not to fear, that He was with them, that they were His people and He was their God.

And this promise to the Jewish nation is equally relevant to Church age believers, for we too have been created by the Lord. We are a new creation in Christ, children of God, members of Christ's Body, and ambassadors of heaven. These words of comfort, spoken by God to the nation of Israel, can equally be applied to Christians today: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine."

It is said throughout the Scripture that the phrase "fear not" appears 366 times: one for each day of the year and one for the leap year. Since God sees fit to repeat the words "fear not" so frequently, should we not pay heed to His command? We are not to fear, for though we were dead in our sins and eternally separated from the Lord, He has redeemed us with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We have been bought with a price, and the required redemption price for our souls was the life of Christ, poured out for us at Calvary by our Kinsman-Redeemer, and the price has been paid in FULL.

It is said in Scripture that God knows every star by name, but we are His children and the sheep of His pasture. He bought us with a price, so God can rightfully declare: "You are MINE." Indeed, He not only knows us each by name, but He also calls us by name, for He is the Good Shepherd of the sheep Who gave His life for His little flock. He knew us before we were born and scheduled each day of our lives. He knows the number of hairs on our head and collects our tears in a bottle.

Let us not only read these words of comfort but let us meditate on them and wholeheartedly believe them, for the One Who created us in Christ Jesus has also said: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine."

My Prayer

Loving Shepherd of the sheep, thank You for Your gracious promises, not only to Israel, but to Your new creation in Christ. Thank You that You have redeemed me, called me by name, and I am now Yours, by grace through faith. I love You Lord. In Jesus' name, AMEN.