June 20 – Isaiah 43
What a unique mix of God’s love and frustration in this chapter. Both are captured so beautifully by Isaiah. Yes, God still loves His people. He loves them so much that after they are scattered, He will bring them back again. He just never gives up on Israel, does He? They are His. Nothing can change that. Not even their disobedience.
In the same way, we are loved by God. In Isaiah, God declares in verse 13, “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.” We see Jesus, God-in-flesh, say practically the same thing in John 10:27-29: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Oh, that makes me feel so safe.
I also love being reminded that when I go through difficulties of all kinds, God is with me in them. Unlike many a friend, who finds the fire too hot or the water too deep, God will not leave me no matter how awful the trial is. He’s with me in that fire and those deep waters. I can cry out to Him because He is right there. What a reassurance that we are not alone. What an amazing depth of love the Father shows to His wayward children! We who belong to Him are blessed.
My verse: Isaiah 43:25 “I – yes, I alone – will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.”
My response: You and You alone can save. There is no other. Lord, not only do You forgive, You blot out those sins and they are totally gone. They are never even thought of again. That kind of cleansing is so complete, so thorough, that I can truly be free of guilt and shame. Oh, what a priceless treasure this is!
