Thus says the Lord

“But now thus says the Lord,
He who created you, O Jacob,
He who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1

Thus says the Lord – I have called YOU by name, YOU are Mine. I may have emphasized the words YOU by capitalizing the letters but the Lord God emphasizes you by His very thoughts, love and blood.

So many the good Christian soul looks at God’s love on a macro level, see God as having saved the whole world through His Son. But, God calls you by YOUR name. He doesn’t come to earth and say, “hey everybody…”. No, He looks across the drink, “Jim, put down the drink, you are mine.” He looks over that screen, “John, turn your eyes from that and look at me.”

God looks from Heaven’s throne, right at you and says, “thus says the Lord, I who created you, O <place your name>, I who formed you: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” But, that isn’t enough, Jesus came to get up close and personal so you could hear His voice speak YOUR name.

I was one way and now I am completely different – and what happened in between, I met Him. I will never be the same. I met Him.

I didn’t meet some big, powerful God, ok I did, but not in that form. When I dropped to my knees and begged from my sinful place for God to save me that night, it was a quiet soft voice that spoke. “Raise your head, My son. Ed, do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine.” When I lifted my gaze in fear, I didn’t see the eyes of God but the eyes of Love in Jesus. He called me from the depths of my darkness by name. He knew where I had been and was. He knew I was a sinner, I even pointed that fact out to Him over and over. And yet, He said my name and told me He had redeemed me, not that He would redeem but already had. He told me not to fear because I am His.

Call out to God right now. And listen for Him to call back with your name. Not the whole world’s but YOUR individual name. Then, never fear for you can have confidence that you are His.