Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; (Isaiah 44:24 KJV)
The verse starts by stating that God is my redeemer, but this isn't really the BIG thing that I want to look at ... it also says that God formed me from the womb – again, this is incredible, but it's not the BIG thing I'm looking at. I look at those first two statements in the context of the whole verse, which shows me that God is not only my redeemer, but He also is creator of all things. In other words – the very beginning of all existence in this Universe, is the same creator that formed me in the womb! The Lord God – Maker of Heaven and Earth – creator of life itself – God unsearchable – He Who knows the stars by name ... the very same God took the time to form me, and create me. The very same God is my Maker, and my Redeemer. I am but a speck ... not even that. I'm even less than a speck on the incredibly vast, infinite canvas that is God's created Universe. Comparatively, I am so small, and seemingly insignificant, and yet God cares about every detail in my life. He cares so much that He wants me to commune with Him, to rely on Him, to trust in Him and nothing or no one else ... I say 'me', but I also mean 'you'. He planned us all from the beginning. I sit here and think; 'why me? ... What makes me so unique? What makes me so desirable to God?'. Quite simply – just the fact that I was created for His purpose. He is a good God, and He cares A LOT about my welfare. Imagine that! The very source of existence, my reason for being wants ME to exist for HIM eternally ...
The price didn't come cheap ... and to be honest, I think sometimes we think it did. Or at least I know I act that way a lot of the time. I spend far too much time selling myself short for things that just don't matter, when God is saying “I gave EVERYTHING so that you could enjoy life with me! Just come and see what you can have!” - God's redemption of man was no small thing. It was not just a light, quick fix like some kind of headache tablet. It was a once and for all sacrifice that was never done before, and will NEVER be done again. If it was to be done again, then it would nullify the whole thing in the first place. What God did, was become a man, therefore leaving the glory of Heaven in order to live on earth – a song puts it as 'You laid aside Your Majesty, gave up everything for me. Suffered at the hands of those you had created ...' The fact that God gave up so much, and suffered so much, in order to give me so much is truly astounding ... The fact that I could mean so much to God is just unfathomable! May it never be something that I would take for granted, and may it always be something that I would appreciate with every ounce of my being! And, may I always continue to offer Him everything and all He asks for – myself.
We may not seem like much in this vast, expansive Universe ... but the Bible tells us that we have a purpose, and that God cares about everything about us. Even the little things. Every single detail ... So we might seem insignificant to some, but the God of Heaven – the Creator of all existence, says that we are worth something, and therefore it is His opinion that we should probably be bothered about.
On our own, sure, we could not come to God. Because He is all Holy, and we are not. It is only by Jesus' sacrifice that we can come into communion and fellowship with Him. That's why Jesus said He was the ONLY way to the Father. Nothing we could do is good enough. But isn't it then incredible that God made the way!? Knowing that we couldn't do anything, God did something about it! We cannot earn God's love, and we cannot pave the way ourselves. It is not within our capacity to do so – God has done it all for us.
He cares enough to take the time to form us. He cares enough to make it possible for us to fellowship with Him, when we can't physically do anything. All He asks is for us in return. For our bodies, “as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12) – All we can do is offer ourselves to a life of worship to Him. Is it easy? No. Not at all. But it's possible. And God gives us everything we need. The strength, the correction, the faith, the peace, the love, the joy ... get the picture?
What does God want with me? Well, He wants to make me into the person He created me to be. He knows what He's doing so the best I can do, and the best we can all do is say 'Lord, forgive me of my sins. Forgive me of the way I took my eyes off You. I choose You Lord! Because You chose me first! I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life. Take me as I am, and change me into who you created me to be. Teach me, lead me and guide' – and watch Him do His incredible work! —Jonathan Boustead
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