You are Mine
“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.”
The phrase “Do not be afraid” appears so many times in the Bible and I think it speaks to God’s compassionate nature to our humanity. He knows that we will be afraid. It is human nature. Sometimes our fear is for a specific moment in time and other times, our fears torment us for seasons. Sometimes our fears are based on very real threats, and other times, we’ve concocted them from hypothetical situations we’ve imagined. Whatever our fears are, the emotion can be very crippling. God does not want us to live under the spirit of fear and addresses it many times. He is our loving Father, wanting to allay our fears AND empower us to live boldly and fearlessly.
God tells us in Isaiah 43:1 that we should not fear, for He has ransomed us. The definition of ransom is to redeem from captivity, bondage, etc. by paying a demanded price; to deliver or redeem from a punishment of sin. When we were in trouble, when we were enslaved in sin, He rescued us. He paid the ultimate price. What father would not pay whatever ransom necessary to rescue his child? “God demonstrates His love for us that while were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) If He was willing to die to save us, will He not protect us from any other harm that comes our way? He did not die to save us just to let us perish again.
I have called you by name; you are mine. He called us to Him by name, personally and intimately. When He died on the cross, it was not to save us collectively, but to save you, to save me, each one of us. His love for us is not for us as a group, but He loves each individually. We are precious to Him. This is why 1 John 4:18 says “perfect love casts out fear.” When you grasp His love for us, you realize that you do not need to be afraid; His love for you will always compel Him to come to your aid and rescue you. If you continue to read on in this passage, God does not promise we will not go through scary moments, but He promises to be with us when we go through those moments. So, as believers, what may seem scary to the world, should not instill us with fear because the God who loves us so much that He ransomed us will be with us.
Look again at the start of this verse. Why does it matter that we listen to the Lord who created us, that the One who formed us says...?
It established his sovereignty. He is the Creator. He is omnipotent and He is in control of everything. We need not be afraid because He is in control.
It establishes our purpose. We were created by Him for Him and our purpose is in Him. Ultimately, it is not about us, but about doing His will. A yielded spirit remembers this eternal perspective. Later the verse says “I have called you” This calling is intentional; it is purposeful; and it is specifically for you. We need not fear because He has a purpose for our life that He will not let of course.
It establishes our relationship with Him. He is our father and He is our sovereign. But more importantly, it reminds us that this relationship is personal, individual, and intimate. We need not fear because God is watching over us like a Father and He will not leave us.
The opposite of fear is faith. In Hebrews 11:1 it says “Faith is the confidence in what we hope for.” So the opposite of fear is confidence. We get our confidence in Jesus. I pray that you will have a revelation of His love for you. He loves you. He made you, you are precious to Him. When you truly grasp and accept His love, you will not be afraid. Instead, you will go boldly and fearlessly on your purpose, empowered by His love.
