Redeemable
- Jilian Brown
- Jan 15, 2022
- 5 min read
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.
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 Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
~Isaiah 43:1-7
There are, I think, two kinds of people in this world: those who spend their gift cards and those who save them. My husband is one sort and I am the other. Same with our two kids--one is a spender and one is a saver. Though I am a saver by nature, I have always felt compelled to spend a gift card as soon as I receive it. This is probably due to my propensity for losing things. I fear either I will not remember where the gift card is at a later date or I will wait too long and it might expire. Nowadays I have the ability in most cases to store the gift card in one app or another so I do not lose it. This technological advancement is a favorite of mine to relieve my redemption anxiety. I can load it and still see it regularly so I remember it is there and then use it when I am ready.
Our family also has a thing with auctions. By that I mean that we end up redeeming items like a sweet little Labradoodle at the end of the night. This year was an inanimate coffee bar. No matter the event, there are always delightful, unexpected gifts that we arrive home with wondering what just happened. :)
The joy in redeeming a gift card paid my someone else, or redeeming items at an auction (which you had no idea coming into the night would be available) is all wrapped up in the unexpected. I had a precious student send me a gift card recently that I did not expect at all to receive and I am so looking forward to using it ASAP. When I redeem it, I will think of her and her kind family and whatever I purchase will always remind me of them. Every time I use (or pet) the items we get from an auction, I remember the charity or cause it was supporting and say a prayer for them. There is connection in redemption.
What makes God's redemption of His people so remarkable is how unexpected it is. When the nation of Israel was wayward, God was faithful. When we forget to remember God, He calls us by name. When Kotton came to us, her name was "Diamond." That did not fit her at all. I love that sweet dog, but she is no diamond. Also, we are partial to weird K-names for our dogs. We named her Kotton and called her ours.
"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."
When God calls his people by name He is saying that we are connected, we are family, we are special to Him. It is not because we deserve to be redeemed, but because His love is so vast that He does not conceive of anything else but to come and get us, no matter the cost. God chooses to love us and His redemption of us is a reflection of this all-encompassing love.
What is the result of our redemption? The Hebrew word גָּאַל in this Isaiah passage is translated "to buy out of slavery." We know that was true for the Israelites delivered out of their Egyptian bondage, but what bondage are we being freed from? We are freed from fear. Wherever we are, God is with us. Whatever we do, God is with us. Whatever financial state we are in, God sees and has a plan. Whatever our health conditions, He holds us. Whatever the trial, whatever the pain, whatever the circumstance, our God stays right there in the midst of it with us. He WANTS us near. Can you believe that? No matter how far away we run--to the ends of the earth--His desire is to pay the price for our proximity and our free life.
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
It may seem like God is holding on to His "gift card" to our finite minds as we wait for Him to redeem us, our situations, our family members, our communities and world, but He is not waiting for redemption. He is standing there at the ready, offer extended. After all, He paid for it a long time ago. We just have to participate in receiving it in order to get the gift. I have never used a gift card in a one-sided way. Someone or something has to receive it. At the auctions we attend, there is always a lengthy exchange at the end where we go pick up all of our glorious loot. When Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." (Rev. 3:20) I remember a painting of this verse in my childhood church which depicted Jesus standing outside knocking on a door with no exterior doorknob. The message of this painting is clear--we have to open the door.
I am learning a great deal about allowing these days. It is a lot like opening a door. Pretty simple and oh so difficult when I want to be in control of any given situation. Freedom is waiting for me when I allow Jesus to come in and teach me day by day. Every day is redeemable in the same way that my very life is by this simple yet complicated allowance. When I start the day in prayer rather than on Instagram, when I pause before reacting to situations, when I yield to the fruit of the Spirit available to me instead of acting in my own will, then I can see the gifts of my redemption. Then I realize the freedom available to me. Then I experience connection with my Redeemer. Perhaps when my perspective narrows to the small redemptions, the great big one will become sweeter and more real to me as the new mercies offered with each sunrise bring another gift.
Citations and Resources:
I write these posts based on the Sunday Proper from the Revised Common Lectionary. You can find the full week of readings here
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22.
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