But Now!

I feel like I have been living in Isaiah 42 lately. Have you ever had the Lord keep directing you back to a specific passage for what seems like an eternity? Well, I have been there. A little background to Isaiah 42 along with the surrounding chapters is that it is a series of chapters speaking to the promise of the Lord's help along with reminders on how much Israel (us) need Him. I get excited when reading Isaiah 42 because I see Jesus pictured so clearly on setting captives free, bringing sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf but this particular chapter ends with a sort of despair. I noticed something today that brought great joy and celebration to my heart.

Isaiah 42 ends with these words..

"But this is a people robbed and plundered; all of them
are snared and in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; they are for prey
and no one delivers; for plunder, and no one says, 'Restore!'
Who among you will give ear to this: Who will
listen and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for plunder, and
Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, He against whom we have
sinned? For they would not walk in His ways, nor were they obedient to His
law.
Therefore, He has poured on him the fury of His anger
and the strength of battle; it has set him on fire all around, yet he did not
know; and it burned him, yet he did not take it to heart."

If we stop reading at the end of this chapter, we are left in despair. Wow, we really deserve what we are getting and is there anyone to help?
Chapter 43:

"BUT NOW, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
and he who formed you, O Israel:
'FEAR NOT, FOR I HAVE REDEEMED YOU; I have called you
by your name; YOU ARE MINE."

AMEN! What an awesome promise from our Father! He has indeed redeemed us and we are his! You see, we can sometimes get consumed with life and the events surrounding it and stop at the seemingly end of a chapter in our life. We end with despair and questioning. This is not God's design though. BUT NOW He says! Remember to keep reading in your book of life because when there is despair, it is surely followed by his BUT NOW promise for you which is Jesus Christ redeeming you! Wahoo! Let's celebrate that our life in no aspect ends with despair because of Jesus Christ who redeems us!