“STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD”
Isaiah 43:1-7
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. 5 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; 6 I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth — 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
How many times have you been told, “Don’t worry about it?” We are often admonished or encouraged with these words. We know, perhaps instinctively, that worry and faith don’t belong together. Nevertheless, Homiletics magazine in the discussion for today’s passage which is our text, says, “These four words – ‘Don’t worry about it’ – are, in combination with each other, possibly the most useless words in the English language.”
That is a startling statement to make, particularly in a magazine that purports to help preachers with material to prepare sermons! But the magazine contends that this advice is useless because it “is routinely ignored.”
We all have our personal list of things we worry about. Lord knows if you watch the news and listen to people talk you will soon be convinced that there is danger lurking around every corner and you are just one short but inevitable step away from catastrophe. Think about the news we heard just this week: another foiled terror attack; contaminated water in Flint, Michigan; and the Dow Jones and S&P 500 posted the worst first four trading days of the year EVER. No wonder one of the leading presidential candidates is now making great headway in his quest for the White House by stoking fears all the while promising to “make America great again.” I guess if you want to get people’s attention, give them something to worry about.
But fortunately for us, the only news we have or hear is not news from the media. The news we get on or through the media largely often serves the purpose of making us anxious. I never liked being anxious, but once I found out the root of the word, I never want to be anxious again. Did you know that the etymology of the word “anxious” is from a Latin word that means, “to strangle”? Yes, that’s right; if you are anxious or worried, it will choke the life out of you.
But the prophet Isaiah has a word from the Lord for us today. Yes, those four words that Homiletics magazine says are “possibly the most useless words in the English language” – don’t worry about it. I know that sounds easy enough to say, but there is life in those words if you will hear them. Instead of choking, you will find yourself breathing easier.
Let’s look at the situation in this text to which the prophet Isaiah speaks. The words of this text come from the writing of the prophet known as “Second Isaiah.” We need to hear now the message of this prophet. Abraham Heschel says, “The message of Second Isaiah…is of no age. It is prophecy tempered with human tears, mixed with a joy that heals all scars, clearing the way for understanding the future in spite of the present. No words have ever gone further in offering comfort when the sick world cries” (The Prophets, p. 145).
In the writings of Second Isaiah the situation in which the Jewish people find themselves is neither robust nor secure. A large segment of the population of Judah now dwells as captives and exiles. They are faced with devastation, distress and death. The temple was destroyed, Jerusalem was in ruins, and their liberty was lost. Now what would you say, write or sing under these circumstances? Isaiah challenges the people here, in spite of how matters seem, to keep the faith and to stand on the promises of God.
This is not an insignificant message. It is more than just “Touch your neighbor and say, ‘my victory is on the way’” panacea for the present pain. We read in chapter 42 of Second Isaiah that the situation in which Israel finds herself is the result of the nation’s refusal to obey God’s law. The nation (to pick up from where we left off yesterday) had pushed past the boundaries. But as a demonstration of how boundaries are situational (God’s grace makes it so!), the message of chapter 43 is one that is a message of hope from Second Isaiah. The reason for this hope is that God is in covenant with us. Notice, I said covenant, not contract. A contract can be nullified if one party breaks the agreed terms. But a covenant is God’s way of saying that no matter what, I am going to be with you. God is in covenant with us! And we know this because, in spite of Israel (and our) stubborn refusal to obey God’s law, Second Isaiah chapter 43 begins with these hopeful words, “But now…” In spite of what happened or took place before this, God – just like the division between 42 and 43, starts a new chapter! Yes, God is about to do something because regardless of how we behaved or responded, God keeps promises and we can stand on those promises.
Israel (and we) needs to hear this because they (and we) have been through some tough times. And it is important to remember that Second Isaiah is written from the perspective of an exile. But the prophet says we may be captives and exiles, but we have not forgotten God’s promise. We’ve had some troubles, but the prophet says, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (v. 1-2). The imagery of fire and water are often used in the Scriptures to denote calamity and danger; water because it overwhelms; fire because it consumes. I’m sure there are enemies who thought I’d never get out of the mess I found myself in…and all I can say now as I look at what I’ve been through is “but God!” I say “but God” because God is the factor that makes the difference. I have God’s promise – the waters won’t drown me, the fires won’t consume me, and my trials come to only make me strong. I’m standing on the promises of God! Verse 7 reminds me that I am called by God’s name and created for God’s glory.
When I’m standing on the promises of God, worry makes no sense. And something happened this week that amplified this for me. I have an example of how the things we worry and get so anxious over are just senseless because we spend much too much time worrying and anxious about matters that are already solved.
On Wednesday of this past week, one of the greatest baseball players of our generation, George Kenneth Griffey, Jr., also known as Ken Griffey, Jr. or “The Kid” was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. To be elected to the Hall of Fame, you need 75% of the votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Ken Griffey, Jr. was elected by the largest percentage in the history of the voting. There were 440 votes cast, and of those 437 were votes – 99.3% - were cast for him.
But some people, instead of applauding and celebrating his election got caught up in arguments about the 3 members of the Baseball Writers Association who DIDN’T vote for Ken Griffey, Jr.! But I give Ken Griffey, Jr. credit; he brushed off the controversy when he said, “It’s one of those things where I can’t control it. I can control how I play, how I do things, but I can’t control what other people do for you.”
I admit, I was a little upset about the fact that 3 people didn’t vote for Ken Griffey, Jr. so he could have 100% of the vote to get elected to the Hall of Fame. But when I read his comments on the matter it changed my mind and it made me ask different questions. When I thought about it, I asked myself, why in the world would you get upset over the few people who couldn’t stop you from getting your ultimate victory? Why grumble about the few people who said you couldn’t win AFTER YOU WON? Why bother to stage a protest against the people who said you couldn’t do something AFTER YOU DID WHAT THEY SAID YOU COULDN’T?
Thank you, Ken Griffey, Jr., you taught me a lesson. Don’t get caught up in the negatives. The victory is already mine, so let me celebrate! Instead of griping about those who thought I would die, I need to praise God for my life. I need to remember that the water didn’t drown me, the fire didn’t consume me, the weight I had to carry didn’t crush me, the lies that were told on me proved false, the darkness I had to walk through didn’t discourage me, the journey I had to take didn’t tire me, the trials I had to endure made me stronger, and my failures after my best efforts didn’t leave me feeling dejected, because I learned that Winston Churchill was right when he said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
Thank you Lord! I am
Standing on the promises of Christ my King
Through eternal ages let his praises ring
Glory in the highest I will shout and sing
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
