What Are You Really Saying?

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Scripture:  Isaiah 43 (NRSV)

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. Read more…

Looking to Sunday

by Elaine Poproski

My favourite line in Psalm 23 is this one: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for You are with me. I love the imagery of these words. I can easily imagine a dark, dark place in which death roams free; and I can just as easily imagine God’s presence with me in such a place, providing a kind of shield of light the darkness cannot penetrate. At some of the worst moments in my life, these words from this Psalm have been a lifeline. I feel the same way about Isaiah 43, which is the text for Sunday. Hear these words as if spoken by God Himself:

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.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.

When it seems like there’s no way out or no way back to when things were good, God’s words given through Isaiah are particularly poignant. They remind us that nothing is beyond God’s care and concern. They remind us that even when we grieve and wish for what was, God is creating something new. And that new thing is beautiful.

As you prepare for Sunday give yourself time to look back at what was, at what you miss, and at that for which you grieve. Shed tears if needed. Yell and scream if that’s what you need. Sit silent vigil if that’s more your style. Take the time to look back. And then say good-bye to what was. Turn from it. Face what is yet to be. And hear God say to you, “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).