Fear not

"Fear not.... You are Mine."

Isaiah 43:1

The calm after the storm.  That breath of relief after enduring something difficult.  Sometimes, in spiritual terms, it means the end of a trial.  And sometimes it means being reminded that He was with you all along.

Such is Isaiah 43:1.

I love the Book of Isaiah.  I'm not sure why, but I've always loved it.  It surprises me a little, because there are some difficult passages; both to read and to understand.  But there are also passages of such hope and beauty.  Isaiah is a book of poetry and promises such as "Unto us a child is born... Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..." and "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat..." and "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth..." and "they will soar on wings like eagles".

Isaiah 43:1 is a poetic and beautiful verse.  But the best thing about it is that it follows after Isaiah 42. 

Part of Isaiah 42 is upbeat and encouraging, but it is about a difficult time for God's children.  He had allowed them to face the difficult consequences of their rebellion.  Verse 22 says, "this is a people robbed and plundered; all of them are snared in holes, and they are hiding in prison houses; They are for prey, and no one delivers; For plunder and no one says, 'Restore!'"

And in verses 24-25, "Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?  Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have sinned? ... Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger and the strength of battle; It has set him on fire all around, Yet he did not know; and it burned him, Yet he did not take it to heart."

Now, as I read that chapter a few weeks ago, I was struck by the powerful negativity of those words:  burned, fire all around, battle, the fury of His anger, sinned, robbers, plunder, prey, prison houses, snare, plundered, robbed...  I'll be honest, I'd rather read about sunsets and frolicking woodland creatures...

But happily, refreshingly, Isaiah 42 is followed by Isaiah 43:1, "But now" ~ and can I just say how much I love the word "but" in this instance?  It draws to a halt all the negativity of the previous chapter; a relief in and of itself.  And then it continues... "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.' "

Beautiful.  Though He was allowing them consequences for their actions, He was with them. 

Though they were suffering, He would redeem them. 

Though they had rebelled, they were His.

As are you.

~ "the Lord your God,

He is the One who goes with you.

He will not leave you, nor forsake you" ~

Deuteronomy 31:6