You are Mine (True hope for a new year)

Isaiah 43:1-3

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

Redeemed ( gaal: to deliver, to buy back)

When you pass through waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you

Overwhelm (shataph: swallow up)

Burned (kavah: scorched)

Consumed (baar: eat up)

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Lord (yehovah: self-existent, eternal)

Holy (qadowsh: pure, sacred)

Savior (yasha: to set free, preserve)

*Hebrew words in parentheses

These words are so beautiful and reassuring. I don't know about you, but they flood my heart and mind with comfort and strength, especially in the wake of the devastation our world, nation, communities, and families have experienced in 2020.

For those who belong to Jehovah, the only self-existent and eternal God, through faith in Jesus, this promise is for you. If you have not yet rested your life in Jesus’ hands, trusting that He died on your behalf, I invite you to consider these words.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.

We truly have nothing to fear when we belong to God because He has graciously satisfied our greatest need. We were separated from our Creator, our loving Father, by our sin and bound for eternal destruction. We couldn't do anything to fix this problem. We were dead in our sins and there was no hope to be found in ourselves.

In His lovingkindness, God the Father gave us Jesus, who bought us back by giving Himself as the perfect and complete payment for our sin-debt. He stepped into this world brimming with failure, put on human flesh, lived a sinless life, and died naked and bloody on a criminal's cross. He was our substitute. He received what we deserved, so we can live as God's children, approaching Him anytime and anywhere. Jesus gave us new life.

God is our Father. He calls us, beckons us, and invites us by name to come close. We are intimately known by Him.

Every detail of who we are-

every joy and delight-

every fear and struggle-

every thought-

He knows.

He knows and continues to love us and draw us close.

You are mine means-

We belong. He is our safe and secure forever-home where we are welcomed and loved.

You and I belong to the One who stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who made the morning stars to sing together.

You and I belong to the One who was far beyond our reach, yet came so close we could hear the thrumming of His beating heart, we could sit at His feet, His truth-filled words penetrating deep into our souls, and we could trace the love-scars on His hands with our doubting eyes.

You and I belong to the One who loved us so much He did the work to make us His. He came close and demonstrated His love for us with His life and death.

When we are held by this truth, by this love, there is no fire and there are no waters that can swallow us up and destroy us. He is with us, always. The one who tramples the waves of the sea and walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, is with us. We can trust our Father because He is pure. His ways are not deceptive or detrimental. When He allows us to go through difficulty, He has promised to be with us every single step of the way and to use it for our good. He teaches us in the waves and refines us in the fire.

Even if our flesh is swallowed up by waters or scorched by fire, our spirit is never consumed.

The words you are mine hold these promises for us:

I will never leave you or forsake you-

I am with you in life and death-

When you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am with you-

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

With me, you overcome the world-

He that overcomes shall inherit all things- I will be His God, and he shall be my son-

Through me, you have eternal life.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body."

No matter what 2021 looks like, no matter what blazing fire we walk through or what stormy waters threaten to overwhelm us, we can rest in the arms of our loving Savior, because He is right beside us, holding our hand, renewing our strength, and causing us to soar on wings like eagles. He is the surpassing power working in and through us to show that He is worthy of our dependence and praise. In 2021, let’s continually and intentionally remember we are redeemed in Jesus, treasuring His sacrifice in our hearts and living in the newness of life He gave us.

No matter what happens here on earth, we will never be crushed, driven to despair, or destroyed when we are God's children because eternal life awaits us. And, oh, how glorious that life will be! Sin will be vanquished, sickness snuffed out, and sadness extinguished.

We will spend life eternal finally and fully understanding what You are mine means in its complete and perfect sense.

I have redeemed you

I have called you by name

You are mine

and

I will be with you

May these words bolster our courage to face whatever 2021 holds, because we are known and we belong to the One who set us free and continues to preserve us.

We are His.

Sincerely,

Amy