Grace Chapel

There are many things in this life that try to capture our hearts. We get wrapped up in so many needless things that will never satisfy the longing within our hearts. There are people who have attained wealth untold, and yet they are most miserable in their souls. There are people who have achieved fame and notoriety; everyone knows their name, and yet they are some of the loneliest people on the face of the earth. There are people who are blessed with talent and genius intellect, but they suffer with depression and feel they have no true purpose in life. There are people who give themselves over to causes which are good, and yet they still feel something is missing. Of all that there is to give ourselves over to, there is only one that truly satisfies the hunger and thirsting of our souls, and that is the love of God. The heart that is smitten and captivated by God’s love beats with joy, strength, purpose, and eternal life.

1) First, let’s consider the backdrop for this passage of Scripture: The previous chapter is a message explaining the coming of God’s chosen Servant (Jesus), and the judgment of God upon His people Israel. Isaiah explains to the people that it was their stubbornness and rebelliousness that had brought them into captivity in Babylon. They refused to walk in the Lord’s ways, and they did not heed the warnings from the Lord, thus the Lord visited His wrath upon the nation. Our Lord is a gracious, merciful, and loving Father, and He is also righteous, holy, and jealous. He cannot permit sin to continue. God always begins to deal with His people through longsuffering and grace, but when His people do not return unto Him, there is a time when He pours out His wrath. So, Isaiah speaks to his people and exhorts them to realize that God has allowed them to fall into captivity because of their sins. There is good news to be heard in spite of all the negative that appears to abound, and thus we have this passage of Scripture in Isaiah 43.

2) Notice with what words the chapter begins. But now… This captivity is not the end for God’s people. Bondage and misery are not the final destination for God’s people. Even when we find ourselves in a horrible place: Whether it be tribulation that has resulted from our own doing, or not, God would not have us to be permanently positioned in this place. The truth is, sometimes God has to allow His people to be restrained, so that He can get their attention. The Israelites had grown accustomed to offering sacrifices without offering their hearts as well. The people had simply slipped into routine, and began to think that they could do whatever was right in their own eyes, as long as they offered the prescribed sacrifices, and attended the typical worship meetings. They worshiped the Lord with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. It’s easy to consider this as something being in the past, but it is just as relevant for the people of God today: What has church become? What has being a Christian become? What defines a good church service? What makes one church better than the other? What makes one Christian more spiritual than the other? God is after the same thing today that He has been after since time began as mankind knows it: HE WANTS OUR HEARTS! HE WANTS TO LOVE US!

3) Notice how the Lord is speaking to His people in this passage of Scripture: He is speaking kindly to them. He is speaking lovingly to them. He reminds His people, Jacob, that He is the One Who created them. He is the One Who took Jacob, and formed and shaped him into Israel. He encourages them to not be afraid: Yes, there was a ransom price for the life of Israel, but it is the Lord Who has paid it! When God calls someone by name, it reflects intimacy, relationship, and love, and in spite of Israel’s many transgressions, God still claims them as His own. How great and terrible is the anger and wrath of the Lord, but how much greater and deeper is the love and grace of the Lord. The Lord proceeds to tell the people that no matter what circumstances they face, and no matter how difficult the opposition will be, they will come through it, for God is with them. As you and I experience the deep waters of life, we don’t have to fear drowning, for our Lord is with us. When we pass through the strong currents that beat against us, we don’t have to fear being swept away, for our Lord is with us. When we pass through the fiery trials, we don’t have to fear being scorched or burned, for our Lord is with us.

4) God assures His people again that He has paid their ransom price, and He explains why in verse 4: You were precious in My sight, You have been honored, and I have loved you. In spite of our imperfections and flaws, God has esteemed us to be precious. This word means weighty and valuable. It’s not about how others see you, or even how you see yourself. How does God see you? God saw each one of us, and said that we were worth the price of His Son’s blood. The price of the life of the Son of God. We are honored because God has placed value in us. He loves His people. If we truly understood how to receive and walk in God’s love, we would never want to do anything to displease Him, or to do anything apart from Him.

5) Our God is in the restoration business. Even though His people were captive in Babylon, He assured them that a day was coming when He would gather His people unto Him again. He would gather them from the east and the west, and He would call to them from the north and south. Everyone who is called by the name of the Lord, He would restore and bring them home. The night will not last forever. The sun has not permanently set on you. The morning is coming, and the dawn is breaking.

What has you captured this morning? Are you caught by your desire to be a success in business, or to become financially significant? Are you caught by your desire to show others, and perhaps yourself, that you have something to offer? Are you a perfectionist, caught by this desire to have everything just the way you think it ought to be? Not realizing that the more you try to control something or someone, you end up losing more? Seek to be a prisoner of God’s love. Let His love capture your heart and life.