God is with Us

December 26, 2010

Background Scripture: Isaiah 43
Lesson Passage: Isaiah 43:1 – 7, 10 – 12

“Through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.” That statement from the song Through It All by recording artist Andrae’ Crouch, is a reminder that God is an ever present help in the time of need. Our lesson today focuses on God’s assurance to Israel that no matter what circumstances they will encounter, He will be faithful to them as their God. God lays claim to Israel as a people that belong to Him. God asserts His right to be Israel’s God by reminding them that he created them, he formed them into a nation, and after they were sold into sin as a result of their own will, God redeemed them. Yes, that’s right. Even after Israel willfully disobeyed God and turned their back on Him, He did not forsake them but rather remained faithful as their God. So now God declares, you are mine. He redeemed them out of the physical slavery of Egyptian bondage and He will now redeem them out of the spiritual bondage of sin. When God says that Israel will not be overtaken by the waters of a flood or the flames of fire, He is providing words of assurance that He is their protector. The word “through” suggests that they will not perish in the midst of their circumstances or conditions. When I know that I am going through, then I have the assurance that things will not always be the way they are. The word through implies transition. “Through” suggests a conduit between two sets of conditions. No matter what the people of God go through, God is there with them. Yes, even during that transition, God assures His people that He is with them. Furthermore, God asserts that He will sacrifice others for the sake of His own. Others will be given as a ransom so that God’s people can again be gathered as one. God’s people will not always be scattered. Today, it sometimes seem as though we will never agree and be as one on anything although we profess to serve the same one and true living God. But in spite of our differences and disagreements, one day God will gather all that are called by His name into one. We have all been created for the shining greatness of God. We are all living testimonies of God’s wonderful and unimaginable grace. We are each a symbol of the works of God’s grace. Together, we will show forth the handiwork of God’s glory in the earth. For those who have been redeemed, we will go through our own floods and fire. Even this will be to God’s glory. When we did not know of a power such as God’s power, He revealed himself to each of us that were created for His purpose. He demonstrated power in our lives to save us from eternal damnation and He gave us a new spirit in us that we had not known before. God has revealed so much of Himself to us so that we could come to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him. We are therefore His witnesses of who He is and what He is able to do. There is no denying for the truly regenerated that God is who He says He is and God is with us.


Robert C. Hudson
December 20, 2010