Redeemer

There's been a lot going on and I didn't even realize it until it came to a head last night and then revealed itself this morning. I've always felt "held back" by something. Brad and I, in our marriage and our walk with God, we've moved so far along, but something is there, like a whisper that's too soft to be audible. You don't know what it is, but it's there. You ignore it, because you can't really hear it, so you pretend it doesn't exist.

Last night, in worship, I should have recognized that it was going to come barreling through when I wept during worship. The song said, "Redeemer, My Healer...that is who You are." I cried out to God with everything that I had within me. That is who He is and who I need Him to be.

Then, this morning, Brad and I were talking about how we both sense that there is this one area that always holds us back. We've recognized that it is fear. We both know that fear is nothing more than false evidence appearing real, but when you're in the midst of it, it's so hard to remember, because it does appear so real, that it's hard to see it as a lie. Brad looked at me and asked, "Where is Jesus?" If all we are looking at is the fear and the lie, then where is Jesus in that? We both promised to turn it over to God, to lift it up in prayer, and keep talking about it, so as not to "sweep it under the rug" until the next time things come to a head.

As I opened up my Bible to begin the daily reading, I flipped to Isaiah 43 and the words nearly leaped off the page. The Lord said, "Fear not for I have redeemed you...do not dwell on the past," (1,18). The Lord said that even though we've allowed this thing from the past to continue to pop up in our lives, we don't need to. He is our Redeemer. He has restored our lives and our bodies and our minds. He is, has, or will avenge the wrongs committed against us--but that is His job and not our worry or concern. He has paid the ransom for us and delivered us from evil. We need only to receive it. I asked Brad how we do that. He said we simply do it. We refute the lies of the devil and look to Jesus. We refuse to accept false evidence and only accept what God has for us, what Jesus offers us...freedom.

God said, "do not dwell on the past," my fears allowed the past to ride along with me. Lord, I'm turning these burdens, these issues, over to You. I'm pitching them away from me and leaving them at Your feet. Father, as I spend more time in Your Word, help me to remember the truth, that I am a new creation and I have been redeemed and restored and the past doesn't control me any longer. Thank you, Father God, for revealing Truth to me in Your Word today. I'm going to carry it with me. Thank you for being my Healer and, especially, my Redeemer. I love you Jesus. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.