The Reason Why (1)

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 43:1

The Reason Why (1)

Redeemed – The world has no answer for fear.  It has lots of suggestions, but none of them is sufficient.  In fact, the world is actually based on fear.  It does not make sense without fear.  And most of us buy into the tyranny of fear.  We live in a constant state of weary protection.

Need convincing?  Turn on the news.  Fear is splashed through every story.  The man next door who turns out to be a predator.  The terrorist in the street.  The chemicals in the water.  The fumes in the air.  What you eat or don’t eat.  What pill to take.  What stock to buy.  The greatest commandment of the world is:  Thou shalt fear.

But the world according to God is a very different place.  So different that the fear-laden consciousness of this world can’t even comprehend it.  From the world of “Thou shalt fear”, life with God doesn’t make any sense at all.  “How can I trust God when everything around me is so frightening?  What can God do about snipers on the freeway?”

Isaiah tells us why we do not need to be afraid.  It has nothing to do with security blankets, perpetual blessings, prosperity gospels or mental attitudes.  Isaiah says that we have absolutely nothing to do with removing fear from our lives.  It’s not some sort of self-help religion.  There is only one reason why we do not have to live in fear:  God has redeemed us.

Gealtika – I have redeemed – is the most important, life altering word in Scripture.  It says that I was completely unable to buy myself out of the slavery that kept my in bondage.  Someone else acted on my behalf by becoming my redeemer.  There was no escape for me.  I was lost in fear, a slave to its power.  No self-assistance, no human effort, no mental shift, no government program or new technology would ever free me.  But God did.  He paid for my release from the world of fear.  Suddenly, I can sing the song of the redeemed.

Are you free from fear today?