And by life, I mean God - because I don't believe in happenstance or karma or serendipity or chance or fate. God has a plan. We just sometimes choose to take a different route along that plan.
Today I happened to be reading a chapter in the Bible that I had read before - one that is underlined and has hearts drawn by verses and has things that automatically pop into my head when I need to hear something from God. I came to the realization that if I could have a favorite verse or whole chapter - this is probably it. I tend to not play the 'favorites' game... I very rarely have a favorite of any thing in particular - although my kids would say that one of them is in fact my favorite child - but in almost all things, I have a hard time choosing my 'favorite' of anything.
Color? I like them all. And I can explain that if you ask.
Food? Too many good ones to choose from!
Vacation? Day of the week? TV show? How can I choose just one?
By the way, this fact about me drives my husband nuts. (Haha)
Yet - Isaiah 43... I am finding, at least at this time in my life, might just be my favorite chapter in the whole Bible.
Why, you ask?
His promises are sure. There is so much hope in this chapter. God loves us so much and claims us as HIS.
When we go through times of distress, trouble, turmoil, (add your own word), HE is with us. He gets us through, if we rely and trust in Him.
He constantly reminds us that we are HIS. We are precious and honored and He loves us so very much.
He reassures us that He is our God. He is our Savior. There is no other like Him or before Him.
He reminds us that our past is not important and shouldn't be dwelt upon... He wants to create in us something new - this is especially sweet when we know that we have recently went through some really hard things... He makes a way for us - and wants to bless us in those times.
The end of the chapter comes to a grim conclusion... He reminds us that we don't ask for His help - in fact, we refuse, it says in verse 22. We choose to not burden Him with ourselves, our sacrifices, our thanks - yet we do choose to continue to burden Him with our mistakes and our faults, things that we could have asked Him to help us overcome and get rid of for good. However - verse 25 - He reminds us that He is the one who removes those blemishes... we don't have to choose to live with them any more...
Friends, He wants to bless us. He wants us to bless others with those things that He has blessed us with. As we live in relationship and communion with God, we should want to live as He wants us to live... but in our selfishness, laziness, apathy, etc, we choose otherwise.
The closer I get in my relationship with God, the more I find that my heart breaks for the things that I know break His heart. My heart aches for the things that I know make His heart ache. I find great joy in so many things that I know bring Him joy - and sometimes those things are ones that I know He has set there just for me (and for you too.)
He is our Redeemer. Our Creator. Our Savior. The Holy One.
And all of that is found in Isaiah 43. My (current) favorite chapter in the Bible.
Be blessed and free, my friends.
M
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