When The Storms Come: They Strengthen Us! Series

Introduction:

We are going to reflect on a very powerful promise from Isaiah 43. This chapter opens with two words that are drenched in grace: “But now.”

Chapter 42 ended with judgment. Israel had been stubborn. They had closed their eyes to God’s instruction. They had suffered defeat and humiliation. The nation was either facing exile or already tasting its bitterness. So spiritually, they were weary. Politically, they were fragile; and emotionally, they were wounded.

And into that context comes the divine interruption: “But now…”

Beloved, those two words may be the turning point someone here needs to hear today.

- Your yesterday may have been marked by failure.

- Your recent chapter may have been written in tears.

- But God says, “But now.”

Not because we deserve it. But because God is gracious.

Let us walk through this text cautiously…

v1 “But now, thus says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel…”

We come across the fact that God Creates and Forms.

What we find here is that God doesn’t begin with Israel’s sin, but He starts with their origin.

“He who created you…” The Hebrew word used here for ‘created’ is bara — the same word used in Genesis 1:1. Did you know that this word ‘created’ is reserved for God alone!

Because, the word ‘created’ speaks of divine initiative, divine power, and divine authorship.

Then comes another word — “He who formed you…” The word is yatsar; this is the word used for a potter shaping clay.

So, God’s Creation in this context of the chapter speaks of His power.

And God’s Formation in this chapter speaks of His intention.

God is saying to Israel: You are not an accident of history. You are not a random collection of events. You are My deliberate design.

Notice the names in the first verse: Jacob… & Israel.

Jacob was the name of struggle, deception, and wrestling.

Israel was the name of transformation and “Prince with God.”

It’s interesting that God addresses both these names in one verse.

So, what does this suggest? It suggests that He does not deny their past, and neither does He limit them to it.

And I say this gently to you today:

- God knows both your Jacob and your Israel moment.

- He knows your weaknesses, and when you’re wrestling, your hidden anxieties — and yet He still says, “I created you. I formed you;” which means God is saying I have power over your life and I also have an intention.

Before we ever did anything right or wrong, we were crafted by divine hands.

So, if He formed you, He understands you. The One who designed the heart knows its fragility. The One who formed your mind understands its battles.

Take comfort this morning. You are alone. God has power over your life and intention.

Now, as you read the same verse (v1) second part, God says, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you…”

Notice the order. The command is “Fear not” and the reason is “For I have redeemed you.”

We find both here i.e. God’s Command and God’s Comfort.

God never commands without grounding the command in Himself.

Israel had every natural reason to fear.

… the fear of:

- foreign armies,

- exile,

- uncertainty about the future.

But fear is confronted not by denial of danger, but by the revelation of redemption.

Have you observed that Fear is often born in us when we forget who holds us.

The antidote to fear is not positive thinking; but covenant truth.

Why should Israel not fear? “Because God has redeemed them.”

The word “redeemed” speaks of buying back, rescuing from bondage.

In Israel’s history, redemption immediately recalls the Exodus episode — God bringing them out of Egypt with His mighty hand.

Redemption means you were helpless — and God intervened to save you.

Redemption means there was a price to pay— and He paid it on your behalf.

From the New Testament perspective, we hear even deeper resonance. We were redeemed not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

And here is the beauty: the verb in v1 is in the past tense — “I have redeemed you.” Which means that even before their circumstances change, their status is already secure.

Sometimes we wait for external evidence before we feel secure. God says security begins in what He has already done.

Israelites may still be in Babylon. But they are already redeemed.

You may still feel the heat of your enemies. But you are already in God’s care.

And that leads to the next phrase.

v1 last part, “I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”

It’s good to know that in ancient Near Eastern culture, to call someone by name was to claim relationship and authority.