“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom, Cusha and Seba in your place.
I give Egypt for your ransom, Cusha and Seba in your place.
4Because you are precious and honored in My sight,
and because I love you,I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life.
5Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east
and gather you from the west.
6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—
6I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—
7everyone called by My name and created for My glory, whom I have indeed formed and made.” Isaiah 43
Thoughts: We have heard these verses before- when you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you walk through the fire you will not be burned. But what we forget is the context of this passage and these great promises. The Lord was speaking through Isaiah to a people who were yet to go into exile (43:28), and He was promising to see them through the flood and fire of being scattered away from their homeland. But then He promises to gather them back again.
So we today are scattered. We are in exile- away from where we want to be; We are in the desert- looking for water; We are in the wilderness- away from our safety and peace. We are scattered from each other. We are scattered ironically into our own homes- sometimes afraid to come out.
The greater promise to me is found in God's gathering us back again. He says, "I will bring your children from the east and gather us from the west; I will say to the north give them up! and to the south, "Do not hold them back." These are the words we have used for the call to worship for our Homecoming Service- the Kirkin O the Tartan. It is a true sign of blessing when we who are scattered are gathered again. We should all look forward to that time.
When the people of Israel actually did come back from exile- and gather again, it was very dangerous. They were weak, with no walls to their city. Ezra said that he was afraid to ask the king for protection because he wanted to show the king how God would protect them. There was a lot of fear in coming back. But they came nonetheless. Not all at once- but in at least three major waves. So when it is time for us to gather- we will do so gradually- at first with a small group at 8:30, then more and then more until we are back where we were and maybe even more than that. Some will be afraid to come, but when others come and are okay, they will get the message and gather too. There is great joy when God sees us through fire and flood and virus and brings us to the other side- finally gathered as His people giving thanks.
So we today are scattered. We are in exile- away from where we want to be; We are in the desert- looking for water; We are in the wilderness- away from our safety and peace. We are scattered from each other. We are scattered ironically into our own homes- sometimes afraid to come out.
The greater promise to me is found in God's gathering us back again. He says, "I will bring your children from the east and gather us from the west; I will say to the north give them up! and to the south, "Do not hold them back." These are the words we have used for the call to worship for our Homecoming Service- the Kirkin O the Tartan. It is a true sign of blessing when we who are scattered are gathered again. We should all look forward to that time.
When the people of Israel actually did come back from exile- and gather again, it was very dangerous. They were weak, with no walls to their city. Ezra said that he was afraid to ask the king for protection because he wanted to show the king how God would protect them. There was a lot of fear in coming back. But they came nonetheless. Not all at once- but in at least three major waves. So when it is time for us to gather- we will do so gradually- at first with a small group at 8:30, then more and then more until we are back where we were and maybe even more than that. Some will be afraid to come, but when others come and are okay, they will get the message and gather too. There is great joy when God sees us through fire and flood and virus and brings us to the other side- finally gathered as His people giving thanks.
Prayer: Lord, give us a dream of gathering back together at the proper time, full of your Holy Spirit and joy.
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