“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
Jesus came to earth to call each soul. He doesn’t call in the plural sense, He calls each by name. Individually coming through the darkness to each soul. He declares the words of His Father God as He calls to he soul, “I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine”
Through the darkness of my sinful life, Jesus came and called my name. I had lived a life of unbelief and hedonistic sin. Worse than just unbelieving, I knew better. I was raised Catholic by faithful parents who insured I heard the word of God in Mass every week and that I received all the Sacraments. I was baptized just weeks after I was born.
So, the fact that I didn’t believe in God makes my sin even worse. I was given every piece of fact and truth to believe, but, still I scorned Him. I followed a life centered upon myself and my happiness. Everything I did was for my selfishness desires. Even the good things were centered on what I got out of them.
The scene I attached above from “The Chosen” hits me because that is where I was and basically my reaction when Jesus came to me. I had met my wife, we married one year after we met. And, because of the holiness she naturally carried, I started to see the darkness within, the demons whom I had invited into my soul over those years of sinfulness.
I had read a book that talked about the end times, a fictional story that really broke me. I could see that if Jesus came back at that moment, my well-earned judgment would be condemnation. After reading one chapter several times, I finally truly broke down. After my wife went to bed, I fell to my knees and cried out to God. I told Jesus that night that I was afraid of hell and was turning to Him, throwing myself at His feet, as a last resort to avoid hell. Turning to Jesus just to avoid hell may not seem like the best or purest motivation but Jesus can work with that.
I watch that scene and cry in joy. I can incision this scene that night. I was trying to run into the dark night to get away. Jesus pursues me into the dark night and called me out by name. He came to me that night and lifted me form the darkness of my soul, and said, “Do not fear, Ed, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine”
He calls you by name as well. No matter what you bring from your past, no matter how damaged you feel you may be, He repeats these words to you, “//insert your name// Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine”
Believe me when I tell you, if Jesus can redeem me after all my sins and scorn of Him in my first 3 1/2 decades, He has no problem with anyone.
So, I ask you, today, to get on your knees and turn to Jesus. Ask Him to come more deeply into your life, wash away all of your past and lift you in His loving arms of mercy to present you to the Father. And, then leave no doubt that He is doing and will do exactly that and much much more.
“Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you” Isaiah 43:4