FEAR NOT: Because God Is
Day 19You Are Mine
Scripture
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.”
Isaiah 43:1–3 · · ESV
Israel had so many reasons to be afraid. Their circumstances had not changed. They were still in Babylon. Still in exile.
They had been through so much. Jerusalem had fallen. The temple where their families once brought sacrifices was rubble. The grand walls of Jerusalem were a distant memory. Babylon was where they lived now, and it was never supposed to be.
But their exile was not the whole story. Israel had sinned and rebelled against God. Isaiah 42 ends with the consequences of that rebellion.
Then Isaiah 43 begins with two small words:
“But now”
Despite Israel’s sin and rebellion, God speaks hope. Their failure has not changed who God is or erased His claim on His people.
God says:
I created you. I formed you.
I redeemed you. I called you by name.
You are mine.
They could not yet see how God would bring them home. But He spoke of their redemption with certainty, even before they saw their deliverance. He had not forgotten them or abandoned them.
And belonging to God did not mean there would be no more trouble.
God does not say there will be no water.
He does not say there will be no fire.
Instead, He says:
When you pass through the waters…
When you walk through fire…
“I will be with you.”
Their circumstances had not changed whose they were.
Throughout life our circumstances change too. Sometimes it feels as though we are traveling through deep water or walking through fire. A person we love is no longer sitting beside us. A role we carried for years is suddenly gone.
I was blessed to have my parents into their 90s. Several years ago, I lost my dad. Then just a few short years later, my mom joined him.
I started to ask:
Who am I if I do not have Dad and Mom?
Am I still their daughter?
Of course I am.
Their deaths changed my life, but they did not erase who I am.
Through Jesus Christ, I know I belong to God.
Roles change. Relationships change. Circumstances change.
Whose I am does not.
God still calls me His.
FEAR NOT when you pass through deep waters or fire.
BECAUSE GOD IS with you, and you are His.
Has a change or loss ever left you wondering who you are now?
Prayer
Thank You for Your promises. When my circumstances change, remind me that I am still Yours. I know You will be with me through the water and fire. I am Yours. You are my God.
Amen.
Amelia