Scripture For Today: Isaiah 43:1-7
, Psalm 100:3, John 10:10-25, 2 Timothy 2:19
“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.”
Isaiah 43:1
Life does not always go the way you thought it would. A marriage that you expected to provide intimate companionship ends up with two strangers living in the same house, or broken and divorced. A spouse or child dies too soon. A young person never finds a mate and faces life alone. Tragedy strikes, finances crash, loneliness sets in, life is not what we thought it would be. You feel abandoned, alone, and wondering what you did wrong. Fear Not! You can not rescue yourself, and you are not alone. Jesus Christ by His grace has written His name on your life and you are His. Never Abandoned, Never Alone!!
By God’s Grace, In Christ’s Love You Are Never Abandoned, Never Alone
Israel had for many years strayed in their love for God and followed the practices of the heathen nations around them. They worshipped the heathen idols, practiced their godless customs, tied their futures together by marriage and military treaties, and replaced Jehovah as Lord in their lives and nation. If ever there was a people that deserved to have been abandoned by God it was Israel. While God did allow them to be crippled nationally by natural disasters and military defeat, He never abandoned them. In Isaiah 43 He tells them why, because He loved them, had created them, redeemed them from their bondage, and called them by His name: They were His! Instead of abandoning them He makes promises to them about his presence in the trials of life; the flood, the fire, the captivities by foreign invaders. Through them all Israel was told, Fear Not!, for I am with thee. Israel was loved, created, redeemed, called, and accompanied by their faithful God through every storm of life.
Those of us today who know Christ as our Savior have this same promise; Never Abandoned, Never Alone! Jesus is our great shepherd who knows us by name, has redeemed us from our bondage to sin, and will never leave us alone when the storms and difficulties of life come. He simply says; hear my voice, follow me, trust me, and depart from iniquity. We are His sheep, called by His name, secure in His grace, and loved with a never ending love. Child of God, Fear Not! You are Never Abandoned, Never Alone when you follow Jesus Christ!