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.
So here God is not addressing them as a statistic, not as a mass, not even as an anonymous crowd. But He speaks personally to Israel.
He says that He knows their name.
Ladies and Gentlemen, there is something profoundly healing about being known.
You see a situation of ‘Exile’ can make you feel invisible.
And if one is ‘Suffering’ it can make them feel forgotten.
And if there is anyone who has been a ‘Failure’ it can make them feel erased.
But God says regardless of your exile, suffering and failure, “I have called you by your name.”
My friends, God knows the private prayers you never voiced aloud.
God knows the burdens you carry silently.
God knows the tears that never reached anyone else’s eyes.
And then comes the most intimate declaration: “You are Mine.”
This is again God’s language of covenant. It speaks of having belonged to God.
Dear church, belonging to God precedes His blessing. And your identity in Him precedes your victory.
If you belong to God, you are not at the mercy of circumstances. You are under the sovereignty of God.
Now as we come to v2, we find that it moves from identity to experience.
v2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.”
Notice carefully — God does not say “if.” He says “when.”
So, the fact remains that Faith does not eliminate deep waters of life.
So, there will be deep waters — which might be overwhelming moments, or even seasons that feel as though they will drown you; but His presence is always there in ways we don’t expect.
Illustration: I remember this well-known story. A man was caught in a terrible flood. The water rose to his doorstep, and first a neighbour comes by in a jeep and said, “Get in! I’ll take you to safety!”
The man replied, “No, thank you. God will save me.”
The water rose higher, and he climbed onto his roof now. Now a rescue boat came by and the officer shouted, “Sir, get in the boat!”
He replied again, “No, God will save me.”
Finally, the water reached the roof, and now a helicopter came. They lowered a rope and said, “Grab the rope!”
He refused and said, “God will save me!”
Sadly, the man drowned. When he reached heaven, he asked God, “Lord, why didn’t you save me?”
God replied, “I sent you a jeep, a boat, and a helicopter. What more were you waiting for?”
The Point is: Sometimes God doesn’t remove the storm immediately—He strengthens us and walks with us through it. You see His presence is always there in ways we don’t expect.
God may not stop every storm, but He promises we will never face it alone.
Now coming to Israel’s history, ‘waters’ recall the Red Sea and the Jordan River episodes.
Often in the Biblical literature ‘Waters’ symbolize chaos, threat, and instability.
But God’s promise that He will be with us when we pass through waters is not an exemption. The promise is about His presence. “I will be with you.”
That is the heart of the text. God’s ultimate gift is not a trouble-free life.
But it is Himself – He is the ultimate gift!
Look at v2 second part - “And through the rivers, they shall not
overflow you.”
The waters may rise — but they have their limits. The river will not have the final word.
The same God who set boundaries for the sea in creation sets boundaries for your trials.
You may feel submerged. But you will not be swallowed.
Finally, the second part of v2 “When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”
Again, notice the word “when.”
Fire in Scripture often symbolizes testing and purification.
For Israel, exile itself would feel like fire. Later generations would remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walking in the fiery furnace — and there was a fourth figure in the fire with them.
Fire tests what is genuine. But look at the promise: “You shall not be burned.” God’s presence is there even in fiery instants.
So what implies here is that the fire may touch you, but it will not consume you.
There is a difference between being tested by fire and being destroyed by fire.
God does not promise that we will never feel the heat of the moment experiences. What He promises is that the fire will not undo His purpose for us.
And take note of the verb — “when you walk through the fire.”
Not stand in the fire forever. Not camp in the fire permanently; but when you Walk through it.
These fire moments of life is a passage, not a destination, not a stagnation!
So, the point is that even when you come across fiery moments, you are still walking – moving — even if it feels slow. God is present with us in the fire.
Conclusion:
If we go through what we have studied here in these three verses which is the heart of the passage, the structure is beautiful:
v1Created by God
v1 Formed by God
v1 Redeemed by God
v1 Called by God
v1 Owned by God
v2-3 Accompanied by God
This is the foundation of fearless living.
Fear loses its power when your identity is secure with God.
Friends,
You are created — therefore you have purpose.
You are redeemed — therefore you have hope.
You are called by name — therefore you are known.
You are His — therefore you are protected.
You are accompanied — therefore you are never alone.
Perhaps today someone here feels like Jacob — still wrestling.
Perhaps someone here feels like Israel in exile — displaced and uncertain.
Perhaps somebody seated here is in deep waters.
Perhaps someone watching us online is in the fire.
Hear the voice of the Lord: “But now… fear not.”
Not because the waters are shallow.
Not because the fire is cool.
But because the Lord is with you.
And if He is with you, the waters will not overflow you.
If He is with you, the fire will not consume you.
You belong to God.
Let that truth settle into your spirit this morning.
You are not abandoned.
You are not forgotten.
You are not unnamed.
You are His.
