There are certain promises and Bible verses that our ears can turn to white noise because we hear them so often. Let’s take the time today to remember that all of God’s promises are real, and can change the way that we live, if we’ll let them. Isaiah 43:1-3 reads: ‘But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.’ (NIVUK). The words ‘you’ or ‘your’ appear fourteen times in those three verses, which make it the perfect place to remember that God’s promises are personal. When He says ‘I have summoned you by name; you are mine’, that puts into context every other promise He makes throughout the Bible, and throughout our lives. Every time He talks to us, every promise that He makes, He is calling us by name –cherishing us, with full knowledge of all that we are. When we forget that, He can seem so distant, and His promises lose their comfort. But when we remember that He sees us individually, and names each one of us in every promise, we find ourselves so close to Him, trusting in every word.

What Now?

Read through those first three verses of Isaiah 43 another couple of times, slowly. Take time to soak in those promises on a real, personal level. Every time the word ‘you’ appears in those verses, remind yourself that God is talking directly to you.