Thoughts from John

Recently over and over again I have been reflecting on this passage of Isaiah:
"Fear not, 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 Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.
Isaiah 43: 1- 4

The first phrase of this is what really hit me and I had to look up the word redeemed and I found one of its definitions as:
“to obtain the release or restoration of, as from captivity, by paying a ransom”

When I read this, I began to feel strength and comfort in who I was. I don’t have to fear for I have already been paid for. I know I know its very cliché comment, but I truly felt it. Then Isaiah began to list the things that could cause us to fear and assures us we don’t need to be fearful because God will protect us.
That is why I believe that being in the center of God’s will as many people say is the safest place can be true. However, it might not seem to be the case. I constantly want to know what God has planned for me so I can begin praying and preparing my self for it. I so desperately want clarity when God has something better in store. When a man once asked mother Teresa where she gets her clarity from because she had it so together but she simply replied, “I don’t ask for clarity I ask for faith.” What a strong statement that is! We may want the easy rewarding thing full of clarity but I am diving deeper into God’s faith rather than his clarity.
For me, it’s not easy; its hard its painful it means sacrificing my pride but after all I am Precious and honored in God’s sight. How awesome is that and how can I trust in anything but that? So for now I give up on the clarity five year plan and I am taking it one blink at a time. For me, this means sacrificing my own desires and looking only at his. I struggle and it's easy to talk about it, but the challenge for all of us is to quit talking about it and live it. After all, we are His and He is looking out for our best!