Devotionals

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Isaiah 43:10-13
10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD,
"And My servant whom I have chosen,
That you may know and believe Me,
And understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed,
Nor shall there be after Me.
11 "I, even I, am the LORD,
And besides Me there is no savior.
12 "I have declared and saved,
I have proclaimed,
And there was no foreign god among you;
Therefore you are My witnesses,"
Says the LORD, "that I am God.
13 "Indeed before the day was, I am He;
And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;
I work, and who will reverse it?"
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Doubt is one of Satan's greatest weapons against believers. Even in the garden of Eden, the serpent sowed doubt into Eve's mind by countering the Lord's commandment, and she and Adam then sinned. Today, with our minds assaulted by thousands of scientific facts, by secular media, and by so-called common sense, it can be easy to lose track of the nature of the one true and living God. We forget His holiness, His righteousness, His justice, His complete majesty and sovereignty over all things. We forget His love, His grace, and His forgiveness and mercy. And, as we are reminded by today's verses from Isaiah, we forget his eternal existence and undeniable power that have been shown so many times in our lives and the lives of others.

Starting in chapter 39 in Isaiah's prophecy, the Lord God begins to tell Isaiah about the coming Messiah. The Lord drops hints and whispers about the nature of Israel's Redeemer, drawing contrasts to Israel's behavior, showing how He, the Lord God, is merciful and compassionate even when we are not. God shows how He is loyal even while we turn to idols, how His word stands even when we break our covenant with Him. And then finally, here in Isaiah 43:10-13, God points out a few things that people are quick to forget.

• "Before me there was no God formed." God is eternal, immortal, and the Creator of all that is - even time itself! "Indeed, before the day was, I am He..." We must remember His eternal power and His eternal existence.

• "...besides me there is no savior." God is truly the ONLY way to break free from our bondage to sin and worldly emptiness. When Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), He was simply restating what God says here, that only God the Father can give us the true peace and salvation we crave.

• "And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand..." When God sets His mind and heart to us, no one can tear us from His grasp. (See also Romans 8:31-39) Our salvation is a permanent thing, persistent and eternal. We must know that once we are truly saved through repentance and faith, we cannot be "un-saved." As God says to Isaiah, "I work, and who will reverse it?"

But the biggest statement God makes is this: "You are my witnesses..." He is saying to us, "Look around you at all I have done already!" Look at the ways He has worked in our lives. He is the LORD who has done these things. How can we doubt? WE are the evidence, our lives the proof, our existence the witness of His salvation. He has chosen to show His power and might and glory through us, and they HAVE been shown through us.

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Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
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FAITH is our evidence for the existence of God, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God and by believing in His power and promises. Our very lives are all the proof we should ever need of the majesty and mercy of God. The Resurrection of Christ is all the substance we might ever desire to show us the eternal life that we hope for through faith in Him. Evidence? WE are the witnesses, WE are the proof, WE are the evidence of the living God.

Nonetheless, when we have doubts about how far God is willing to go to forgive us, when we have doubts about whether or not He truly intends to save us, we need look no further than His own Word - the Holy Bible - where the testimony of thousands of lives speaks to one thing: the eternal love and mercy of our glorious God and Savior. Abram is the witness, and Jacob is the witness, and Rahab is the witness, and Esther is the witness, and David is the witness, and Nehemiah is the witness, and Isaiah and Joel and Malachi are the witnesses. Simon Peter is the witness, and Zacchaeus is the witness, and Mary Magdalene is the witness, and Saul of Tarsis is the witness. I am the witness. YOU are the witness.

Today, let us be those witnesses of God's eternal nature and unending love. Let us be the beautiful music of His praise. Let us be the wonder of His Creation. Let us be the glory of His mercy. And let us remember that the salvation He has set in motion, the amazing gift of His grace through Christ Jesus, is relentless and irresistible and eternal. Praise be to He who is the Lord our God, our Rock and our Redeemer!

Father God, we praise You for who You are and all that You do. Redeeming us is just the beginning of Your marvelous works, and my life is indeed a witness to Your saving grace. Use my life, Lord God, to be the evidence of Your presence, Your sovereignty, Your love in this broken and hurting world. You alone are God and Savior, and no one can ever know salvation but through You. Praise be to Your holy name! Amen.

© 2010 Glenn A. Pettit-Noel

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