This is an excerpt from this year’s 1517 Advent Devotional.
Isaiah 43:1-3a, Created for Salvation
“But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When 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.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
Fear God and don’t be afraid are two of the most common refrains in Scripture. Which is it? Does God want you to fear him, or does he want to take away your fear? The answer is God wants us, who are burdened with so many fears, to fear him alone, so that he may take even that final fear away.
Notice what Isaiah says between the words “Now thus says the Lord” and “Fear not.” It’s not just any God speaking to you. It’s the God who created you. The God who formed you. This means you are not an accident; you were deliberate. To be made on purpose is to be made with purpose. That purpose is to belong to God.
The truth is, we are all runaways that God has pursued in Christ. The incarnation is God refusing to let what he has created live apart from him. It is God running to the runaway. He has called us by name and declared that despite all our running, we belong to him. God looks at every rebellious child and says, “mine.” The God who walks on water says, “Fear not the river, I will be with you.” The God who has conquered Hell says, “Fear not the flame, I am your Savior.”
God has wanted you from the beginning. You were created and formed for salvation, not fear. To be saved by God is to be rescued from sin, death, the devil, and fear. To be redeemed is to be brought back to the home our first parents ran away from so long ago, and to discover we always belonged with God.
Heavenly Father, root my identity in belonging to you and quickly pursue me when I wander away. Amen.
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