“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:1b-2 NLT
There is a misconception that when one decides to follow Jesus and trust Him for salvation all their problems go away. In our present-day vernacular, we would call that misinformation. What does go away is our destiny to a Christless eternity replaced by our assurance of an eternal life with Him in heaven. Certainly, to go through this life with Christ by our side is better than trying to do it without Him, but they are not without the problems that are common to everyone. The Lord will bestow a generous portion of His grace to those who are His just as he gives common grace to all mankind in the troubles of this world. But an extra level of grace and protection is needed for all who are His, because the truth is things are going to get heated and messy.
Christians can take comfort that the Lord knows us by name. Jesus ransomed us by His death on the cross. We are bought and paid for, we are his and He knows our names. The prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel that God knew them by name for they were His chosen people even though they were unfaithful to the point they would go into captivity. But the Lord would bring them out and continue to watch over them through the centuries up to and including our present day. When Christ rules on the earth during the Millenium Kingdom all the land God has promised Israel will be completed. (Ez.47:13-20) And He will be watching over them until that time comes.
As Isaiah encouraged the Jews of God’s protection, the same encouragement applies to Christians who have been ransomed by the blood of Christ. We are assured of His continual watchfulness throughout our lives. When the rivers of difficulties come our way God is there to help us maneuver through the currents. As we struggle in deep waters, perhaps because of our doing, He throws us life raft and pulls us out. The most difficult struggles that are sure to come is the blowback Christians face for being obedient to the Lord and standing up for the truth of the gospel. It is the fire of oppression Isaiah refers to. But our God sees all that comes our way. The fire may hurt, but the flames will not consume us. The Lord tells us not to be afraid, but to remember we are His and He knows us by name.
