Isaiah 43:1-7
Ahh, those three little words. They can fill your heart so full that you are brought to tears. They can take your breath away with surprise. They can fill up your senses. From a mother as she holds her crying baby, they are soothing. On the lips of a lover, they communicate an intimacy; a shared secret that only two hearts in the whole universe can trust and know. Spoken among friends, they are a bond that says, "I am here for you."
In this text from Isaiah we find the only place in the whole Bible where those three powerful words, "I love you", are on the lips of God. So, what does it mean when God is the one saying these three magical words?
Isaiah 43 is a word of hope to Israel in exile. God's beloved people are starved for reassurance that they have not been abandoned; that they have not been forgotten. Israel cries out daily for comfort, mercy, and redemption. God's "I love you" reminds them that their cries are heard, that they are still His beloved, that they have not been forgotten. God's judgment may have been the reason they were exiled, but God's love is greater than His judgment. When these three little words are spoken to Israel mercy is expected and redemption is promised.
So it is with us as well.
Read this passage out loud to yourself.
Hear the way in which God encourages you with His love where He says, "Do not be afraid."
Hear God's word remind you of who you are, and who you belong to for ever and ever, where He says, " I will be with you." and "You are precious" and "You are mine".
I've heard it said that one could describe the Bible as nothing more than a love letter from God. I think exiled Israel would agree after hearing these words from the prophet Isaiah.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, there is nothing more gratifying than your love. Thank you, for sharing it so freely with the likes of me. Open my heart, that I may hear your word of love for me today. Open my arms, my mouth, my eyes, my feet...that I may share your word of love with others today. Amen.
Isaiah 43 is a word of hope to Israel in exile. God's beloved people are starved for reassurance that they have not been abandoned; that they have not been forgotten. Israel cries out daily for comfort, mercy, and redemption. God's "I love you" reminds them that their cries are heard, that they are still His beloved, that they have not been forgotten. God's judgment may have been the reason they were exiled, but God's love is greater than His judgment. When these three little words are spoken to Israel mercy is expected and redemption is promised.
So it is with us as well.
Read this passage out loud to yourself.
Hear the way in which God encourages you with His love where He says, "Do not be afraid."
Hear God's word remind you of who you are, and who you belong to for ever and ever, where He says, " I will be with you." and "You are precious" and "You are mine".
I've heard it said that one could describe the Bible as nothing more than a love letter from God. I think exiled Israel would agree after hearing these words from the prophet Isaiah.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, there is nothing more gratifying than your love. Thank you, for sharing it so freely with the likes of me. Open my heart, that I may hear your word of love for me today. Open my arms, my mouth, my eyes, my feet...that I may share your word of love with others today. Amen.
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