“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze
…
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I 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 earth—“
The Lord had my morning devotional the other day randomly turn into me reading Isaiah 43. And it was just cool to imagine the Lord going to the furthest north, south, east, and west in order to get His children. No where is too far for Him. And there is nowhere I can go where the Lord isn’t surrounding me. He walks with his children through the water and fire and it doesn’t affect us because God has already gone before us. I’ve been trying to imagine going to the ends of the Earth. The first thing that came to my mind was when it was thought that you could sail right off of the edge of the world. And how there were explorers, thrill seekers, adventurers, and fearless souls that were willing to go the ends of the earth to search for the things they were looking for. Just like these explorers the Lord is willing to go to the ends of the Earth to get what He’s searching for…us! To think that the Lord is the one who not only has but created that spirit of adventure and perseverance is sick! He loves us so much that He has already spoken this over us before we were even a thought in anyone’s mind. He is speaking to the north, to the south, to the east, to the west, to the deepest part of the ocean, and to the highest mountain peak. He is ruler over all of this and yet He still cares for us more than we can imagine. How sweet is that?! During this devotional the Lord also put the words on my heart “I will go to the ends of the Earth for you so why do doubt that I am here alongside you?” and it was just a sweet but strong reminder that the Lord is present and walking with us.
