True Identity Ministries Blog

In Isaiah 43, the passage begins with "Fear not."

Now why would the Lord start with such a strong warning? I cannot by any means declare His intention, but I might assume that there is indeed some things that the flesh will find fearful. So "Fear not."

"Fear not, for I have redeemed..." Why should I, you, we not fear; it's a natural response, right? The Lord has redeemed you and to magnify the word redeem, it means "to free from captivity by payment of ransom; to free from the consequences of sin."

The Lord has set you free and then goes even further as to call you by your name. And if that was not enough, He goes on to say "you are mine." Wow! The Lord is making a declaration to you and to everyone out there that you are His. It is as if He is placing a banner over you for all to see that you are His.

In laymen terms: don't be afraid because God has saved you, He knows you, and you are His. What a beautiful thing to say, right? I mean I know that I am a sinner who botched it up and I still do at times. But I am also a sinner that admitted that I had botched it up and so I can appreciate this verse. God knows all things concerning each and everyone of us and for those who admit to the botching, He calls you "mine."

So why as His "mine" should we be afraid in the first place? In the storms, the deserts, the fires, our flesh grows fearful. It's natural. But God still commands us to not fear.

In addition, the verse does not say, "Fear not, SHOULD you pass through the waters." He says. "WHEN you pass through the waters...and through the rivers...WHEN you walk through the fire..."(v.2). When is mentioned twice in the same verse and reiterates that we, all, everyone will have tough times. Being a Christian does not mean that everything is going to be sunrises and kisses, but that without a doubt we will face fearful times.

When the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea with Moses and the Jordan River with Joshua, I am pretty sure that some of them were afraid that the water would overcome them. But God was with them. Or when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, I guarantee that it was not all cush at first. But then we see in Daniel 3 that a being resembling a "son of God (or deity)", possibly a preincarnate appearance of Christ, appears to protect the men. This is a promise.

Now I know that some of you reading this might at times wonder what are the promises that we have. I have asked myself the same question before as well. Now you know that this is a promise. God says in Isaiah 43 that through the trials, He will be with you. And if God promises to be with you in the tough times, which at times may be difficult to believe, He will be there. All the time.

One part that I love in the chapter is when God announces in verse 3 that He is "your Savior." I love it! It is so poetic and yet when your read it, it resonates within you to be so true. It just fits.

Wait, it gets better. He continues in verse 4 with, "Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you." Okay, so surely I am not the only one left with tears in my eyes at this reflection. God honors you and loves you. Isn't that what we all seek? To be honored and loved.

It reminds me of what two people in love say to each other at a weddng ceremony. God is giving to you a vow. I know that at some point, or even now, some of you have looked in the wrong places for a vow. We expect people or things or dreams or titles to make us feel somehow important or precious. And although it is by no means wrong to share a vow as such with another person, it is wrong to give that vow to or accept that vow from another person as above all. God was, is, and always will be He who our heart must desire first. Nobody can fulfill you and nobody can love you like Him. When God says' "I love you," as a promise, as a vow, do not take it for granted. These words from the Savior are treasured words for your life.

"Fear not." I know, I already commented on this. The only reason I bring up this command again is because God commands it again. In verse 5 we find "Fear not" for a second time. In case you did not know, when a word or phrase appears more than once in a passage, it tends to mean pay attention. So for those of you who somehow didn't get it the first time, here it is again.

God knows that there will be times when we will want to be afraid. He understands that we as humans are not perfect and that we will be faced with uncertain times, resulting in a desire to be afraid. But along with the command to not fear He follows with a promise to be with you.

I could go on with this passage tucked away in Isaiah for it has indeed stirred something inside of me. But to go on would take much time and to leave off in verse 5 seems to be a good stopping point. I challenge each of you to study the chapter further; to find the value in the words here. I do not presume to know everything about this passage; all I want to do is stir some thought in you with my passion and observations for the Word and hopefully ignite in you a desire to search the scriptures.

One more thing which I hope encourages you is that yes, you will pass through difficult times. But remember that you will come out and that it will not last forever in spite of how you may feel in the midst. When the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea, they entered into freedom. When they crossed the Jordan River, they possessed the promised land. And when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire, two things happened. The rope that we saw them bound in seems to no longer hold them and others praised God.

Sometimes we must pass through the fire so that bondages may be broken and so that glory may be given to God.

Sounds worth it to me!