We all love Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.” NASB
That verse encourages us to not be afraid or worried. But as I studied the complete chapter of Isaiah 43 today, I saw some wonderful reasons from verse 1 for us having confidence in the promise of verse 2.
Verse 1 tells us, “But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!”
I found there 5 reasons in that verse to not be afraid:
1. God created me and you. He created me with a purpose and nothing will prevent His plan from happening.
2. God formed me and you. He knows us intimately. He formed us exactly the way He wanted us for His specific purposes.
3. He redeemed me and you. Jesus died a horrible death to draw us into relationship with God. The cost shows God’s value upon us.
4. He calls me and you by name. We are important to Him. He is not overwhelmed by the mass of humanity. I can’t tell different ants apart but He knows each of us as different.
5. We are His! How well do you take care of that which you value? Well, He takes care of what He values! We belong to Him.
But there’s an even more important reason for us not to be afraid: All those 5 things are in place because they show God’s glory (His goodness, love and correct values). And they glorify Him–they bring glory to Him as people see His goodness and greatness in His workings in our lives. When we are not afraid though bad things happen to us, people notice and are impressed that He deserves such trust.