Don't Be Afraid -- I'm With You -- A Lenten Reflection
Posted below is a reflection for today as published in Central Woodward Christian Church's 2009 Lenten Devotional
**************************************
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Isaiah 43:1-7
Isaiah 43:1-7
1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 W hen you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6 I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth--
Don’t Be Afraid – I’m With You
These are difficult times. There are wars and rumors of wars. There is that economic downturn. Houses are being foreclosed, jobs cut, and “quality affordable health care” seems to be an oxymoronic idea. It is easy to feel left out and on the sidelines. The exiles in Babylon felt that way. They felt scattered and alone. They didn’t feel that there was much hope for the future.
Into this context, the word of the prophet comes. The one who created you says: Do not fear! W hy? Because “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name.” The prophet says to Israel, and to us, I created you and named you, so I will reclaim you for my use. So, don’t be afraid. Indeed, not only will I reclaim you from your captors, whoever they may be, but I promise that because “you are precious in my sight” I will be with you and with your offspring. How can we be afraid, when God is walking with us, gathering our offspring from the far corners of the earth?
When we know and understand that God is with us, walking with us, in the midst of our own difficulties, then we can go out into the world with confidence. Having been redeemed and love, we can tell that story to the neighborhood, so that they too might share in the love that God pours out on us. None of this takes away from the realities of life, but it does give us hope. Don’t be afraid! God is with us – Emmanuel!
Pastor Bob Cornwall
Into this context, the word of the prophet comes. The one who created you says: Do not fear! W hy? Because “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name.” The prophet says to Israel, and to us, I created you and named you, so I will reclaim you for my use. So, don’t be afraid. Indeed, not only will I reclaim you from your captors, whoever they may be, but I promise that because “you are precious in my sight” I will be with you and with your offspring. How can we be afraid, when God is walking with us, gathering our offspring from the far corners of the earth?
When we know and understand that God is with us, walking with us, in the midst of our own difficulties, then we can go out into the world with confidence. Having been redeemed and love, we can tell that story to the neighborhood, so that they too might share in the love that God pours out on us. None of this takes away from the realities of life, but it does give us hope. Don’t be afraid! God is with us – Emmanuel!
Pastor Bob Cornwall
Comments