Journal Entry ~ 01/14/18
1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, 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. - Isaiah 43:1-2
Another truth revealed about God in this passage is His love for us. God is loving. We are reminded He created us and we are His. He knows our fears so He reminds us He is with us always. He even promises His protection in the waters and in the fire. His words are an example of the unconditional love He has for us. He doesn’t ask anything of us here, He just promises to be with us no matter what we face. He loves each one of us intimately and personally, just as we are. Nothing we have ever done could increase His love for us, and nothing we have ever done could decrease the amount of love He has for us. His love for each one of us is constant and unchanging.
Because He loves me, I know that I am valued. Each one of us are precious to God and we are valued. Don’t be mistaken - I am not valuable, I am valued. Saying I’m valuable places the importance on me, but I have done nothing to earn my value. Saying I’m valued says something about God - He values me. This is especially important to me because if I’m being entirely honest, I have a tendency to want to earn my own value, or to find my value in things of the world.
For example, the world tells me my value should come from the success of my children. Far too often, i believe this lie. My value as a parent has often come from the current state of my children. How they are doing can even determine my mood. When they are doing “well”, I feel great; but when my children are struggling, I can let it wreck my entire day. It even impacts how I pray for them - I don’t want to endure their struggles, so I pray them away, even though their trials may be the very thing that brings them to the foot of the criss. My fears for them can be extremely distracting and my value can diminish as I feel judged by others’ opinions of my children.
Likewise, the world tells me my value comes from my job or my accomplishments, my home or my car, my wardrobe or my weight. Each of these things can diminish my self worth in a moment, and I can feel less than valuable. When my value comes from worldly things rather than from God, I slip into that mindset of working for my value. I want to be valuable, so I work harder, accomplish more, and focus my energies on things like my weight, my home, my job. I will inevitably fail at each of these, leaving me disappointed and empty. My value comes from being loved by the King. He chose me, He loves me, and He values me as I am.
Knowing He loves me and values me allows me to live with the security and confidence. I have security in who I am in Him. I don't need to have things be a certain way to feel secure - I don't have to be financial security, job security, or even have my children be successful to be secure in him. I don't need anything but Him. He is enough.
I heard a great quote on the radio the other day - God doesn’t need our successes, he wants our surrender. We need to stop working so hard to earn our value through our accomplishments, and stop feeling so defeated when we fail to measure up. We are loved and valued by the God of the universe - our security is in Him.
Press on ~ you are loved 💗
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