2021 Day 1 My Own Personal Bubble
Isaiah
43:1–3
Here
we are, day one of 2021. Many people have left 2020 overwhelmed, sad, and
defeated. If we survey the coming year, we see reports of new strains of viruses,
political upheaval. We are facing new and uncharted places. I would charge you,
oh reader, to not lose hope.
The Word says in Isaiah,
Now this is what the Lord says the one who created you,
Jacob, and the one who formed you, Israel "Do
not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are
mine. 2 When you
pass through the waters, I will be with you, and
the rivers will not overwhelm you, When you walk through the fire, you will not
be scorched, and the flame will not burn you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior. I have given Egypt as a ransom for
you, Cush and Seba in your place. [1]
I was reading the daily bread entry for today,
and the title was uncharted waters. I, myself, am in uncharted places. I am
currently in a pre-journey quarantine. I am about to embark on a long journey
where I will be out of communication with my family, friends, and church. Now,
I am in this place where I have nothing but time. I am in a humanmade "bubble"
of Isolation. I am allowed to go from my room to work and back. There will be no
congregating, leaving my room or place of work, and definitely no breaking the
bubble.
There is this feeling of
captivity. I rang in the new year with DisneyPlus and Star Wars the Clone Wars
series. I must say that my view is beautiful. I see the water, the shipyards,
and the beautiful city of Norfolk. I had plenty of time to reflect on the
previous year and plenty of time to daydream of the year to come.
In this
passage of Isaiah, the people of God find themselves in a bubble of sorts in
exile. God makes it very clear how he views his chosen people. If we look at the
previous passages, we see that God, in chapters 41 and 42, is both lover and
creator of Israel.
He holds His people that
are in captivity in the highest place in his heart. He says, "But you,
Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend."[2]
He also says, "For I am the Lord
your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help
you.'"[3]
God has a purpose with
his people. He says, "I am the Lord.
I have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will hold you by your hand. I
will watch over you, and I will appoint you
to
be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations.'”[4]
As we examine chapter 43, there is a
continuation of God’s affection for his people and promises of deliverance. We
see the concept of already but not yet in this passage. The first verse of chapter 43 says, “for I
have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.”[5] The writer here is
encouraging God’s people in a difficult situation.
I sit in this room, and I face
difficult coming days, but God calls me to fear not. The most important thing
to remember about a new year is that new hope comes with it.
All that has happened in 2020, whether good, bad, or
ugly, is now in the past. We look toward the future of what God has in store
for 2021.
I want to know what thoughts Jesus has
concerning 2021 and then have those thoughts. Most of what we think and then
speak is negative. Dr. Raj Raghunathan writes,
“even
though people claim to hold themselves in high regard, the thoughts that
spontaneously occur to them their ‘mental chatter,’ so to speak is mostly (up
to 70%) negative, a phenomenon that could be referred to as negativity
dominance.”[6]
Do not let this new year be marked by all the negative
things that could and may happen. Instead, focus on the promises that God has
written for us in his Word. In Isaiah, God said, “I will lead the blind by a way they did not
know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to
light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will
do for them, and I will not abandon them.”[7]
If
you feel as though God has abandoned you, he has not. Look to the dawn and see
the salvation of the Lord that comes with the rising sun.
[1] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN:
Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Is 43:1–3.
[2] Ibid,
Is 41:8.
[3] Ibid,
Is 41:13.
[4] Ibid,
Is 42:6.
[5]
Ibid, Is 43:1
[6]
Raj Raghunathan, “How Negative Is Your ‘Mental Chatter’?,” Psychology Today
(Sussex Publishers, October 10, 2013),
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sapient-nature/201310/how-negative-is-your-mental-chatter
[7] CSB, Is 42:16
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