"But now thus says the LORD, 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." Isaiah 43:1, ESV
A few years ago, my husband and I celebrated our friend's 35th birthday with a prom-themed party.I wasn't over-thrilled by the idea since my high school prom wasn't something I wanted to remember, much less reenact. Still, we obliged the party girl, dressed the part, and celebrated with friends. But something unexpected happened that night. God used this party to redeem my past prom experience.
My high school prom was ruined when my boyfriend at the time showed up edgy and withdrawing from a pill addiction. What was supposed to be a formative and celebratory occasion was shattered as I attempted all night to enjoy myself but couldn’t because of his sour mood. I'd worked hard to suppress the memory, but couldn't help to think about how different the experience was with my husband at my friend's birthday party.
But that is exactly what God does. He is in the business of redemption. Not only does He redeem our lives from the grip of sin and death and make us His treasured possession, but He also often redeems the heartaches we experienced while we were separated from Him.
Have you ever experienced God’s redemption?
Maybe your story involves God saving you from a path of destruction, bringing you into the safe refuge of a relationship with Him.
Or perhaps you experienced a difficult childhood, but you can see how God is redeeming those memories through new traditions with your spouse and children.
Or maybe you are still waiting for God to redeem a specific situation, so you long for the day when God will make right every wrong and remove all the sadness and disappointment that come in this life (Revelation 21:4)
God doesn’t cast His people aside; instead, He steps into and rewrites their stories with His unfailing covenant love and comfort. Even when we don’t deserve it, God redeems us.
In our key verse, we see that God changed the story after the Israelites experienced a literal exile as punishment for their sins. He released them from the bondage of slavery; and reminded them who created and owned them. He tells them they no longer have to fear because He bought them back because of His great love for them.
Now we know that lasting redemption came later with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. And we still await the final act of redemption when Jesus returns. However, these promises are still ours as children of God. God ransomed Israel and redeemed their captivity, as we read in Isaiah 43:1.
God’s nature has not changed. He is still the God who redeems His people and their troubled experiences despite their inability to earn His favor. I didn’t deserve to have my prom experience rewritten. Truth be told, my previous relationship was riddled with my sin and my boyfriend’s depravity. But because God is a personal Savior who loves His people despite their sins, He allowed me to experience a foretaste of His future redemption by reclaiming that broken memory with a better one.
What can you thank God for redeeming in your life?
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord,
Thank you that despite our waywardness, you buy us back from the grip of sin and death. Thank you for the ultimate redemption. Thank you that we will be with you in heaven for all eternity because you paid our ransom on the cross. But Lord, I also thank you for caring enough about the smaller circumstances in our lives that you carefully rewrite the stories around. You intricately rewrite and redeem the broken and bruised parts of our stories. Often, when we haven’t even thought to ask you to do so. And this serves as further proof of your great love for you people. Lord, I pray for the person who is reading this right now. Lord, if they are separated from you, redeem their soul. And God, if they belong to you, would you reveal your redemption to them in a personal and meaningful way? In Jesus’s name, amen.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Javier Art Photography
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington, Andrea Bocelli, Reba McEntire, Mark Wahlberg, Tony Dungy, and Matthew McConaughey—what do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their stories of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
Originally published Tuesday, 17 October 2023.
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