"I have called you by name, _______, and you are Mine!" - A Devotion for the arrival of Hurr. Beryl based on Is. 43: 1-2

If you cannot make it to church this morning because of Beryl, or if you are getting verklempt (if you aren't an old-school fan of SNL, this is Yiddish for "overwhelmed") I humbly offer this as a devotion this evening or tomorrow morning.

Isaiah 43: 1-3: But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

When I began writing my sermon last week, Hurricane Beryl was still in the Carribbean. It’s now knocking on the front door of our coastline. Like many of you, I vacillate between “It’s gonna be OK,” and “I’m on the north side of concerned heading towards the south end of worried.” (For the record, this is mostly due to the 1st world problems, like potential of loss of electricity and AC, although I am concerned for my peach tree and how Reese, my wonder dog, will manage going to the bathroom. She hates doing her business when it's raining. But, I digress...) It’s a very humbling thing, isn’t it, to hear the predictions and see the video of the devastation it has already caused, and to know it’s heading this way.

In the Catechism, in reference to the forgiveness of sins, the pledge of the resurrection, and the connection with Christ as children of God, we ask the question of Baptism, “How can water do such great things?” As we look southward and watch our weather apps, the tone behind question is different: how can water do such great things? In the hurricane, we see the awesome and awful beauty of God’s creation that has been corrupted by sin. God did not create the wind to tear asunder; He did not create rains to flood; He did not create the seas to roar and foam. He does not desire that creation or mankind should suffer such effects. Yet, here we are – yet one more example, a powerful and frightening one – of how fallen the world is and how much we really do suffer this side of heaven.

I have told you before that I am a hand-wringer and a chin-scratcher. It’s easy for me to focus on the coast to the point of almost being overwhelmed. Perhaps you are like me – if not because of a storm, then something else.

To you, to me, Isaiah speaks: “But now.” Regardless what Israel faced, regardless what we face, the “But now,” of Isaiah cuts into all of that.  It snaps us out of our inward focus and turns our eyes to the Lord.

But now, says the Lord, He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. (Is. 43:1)

This short verse has three expressions about going through very difficult times: passing through waters, passing through the rivers, and walking through fire. For the people who heard Isaiah preach, it would have suggested their forefather’s journey through the Red Sea, the Jordan River, and the battles against God’s enemies. They would have recalled how God, in His great mercy, preserved Israel even in their greatest of distress. They would have remembered but also understood how it applied to their own suffering under the hands of the Babylonians and Assyrians: that God was with them, also, while they went through their own waters, rivers and fires.

For you, those words of Isaiah also stand as His promise for you, that in this time of uncertainty, God is with you, He will not let you be overwhelmed, He will not let you be consumed. “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,” he says, “Your Savior.”

Those last two words amaze me: Isaiah was preaching roughly 700 years before the Savior was born, but the promise of God was already as sure and certain as though Jesus was standing there with Isaish. That’s how certain God’s Word is: when He says it, you can believe it, even if the fulfillment is far, far away. God’s salvation of the world would be accomplished in the death and resurrection of Jesus, still seven centuries in the future for Isaiah, but it is already certain for Isaiah as if it had already happened.

When God gives His promise, it is never just a past-tense moment. God’s promises, given in the past, are always past, present, and future tense active and powerful.  And, because this is true, the promises of God, given to His people of old, still hold true for His people of every age – including today. So His promises, given to Ancient Israel some 2700 years ago, still ring true for you. But now, says the Lord, He who created you, O Zion, He who formed you, O Zion: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.” The difference is that Israel was waiting for their redeemer. We know He did come. His name is Jesus. His perfect life, ministry of word, death and resurrection are the seal that we are redeemed, rescued and saved. 

We had our own flooding moment when we were baptized in His name, the waters overwhelming satan’s curse, washing away our sins and Christ’s death and resurrection flowing over us.

I think that memorizing Bible verses is an important practice. Isaiah 43:1 and 2 are two of my favorites. Perhaps I am biased – let me tell you why. Isaiah 43:1 was my Dad’s confirmation verse back in 1957. Someone – I think my grandma - made my Dad a small banner with the words of the verse on it. But, they included Dad’s name in the verse, so it took the powerful truth of the verse and made it even more personal. It read this way: “Feat not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, Walter, and you are mine.”

I tell you this because if you are feeling a little overwhelmed in the next 48 hours, or at any time in life, having those words in your mind will let you do this simple exercise for yourself.

Do this: read the first three verses again, out loud, and then say your name and tap your chest at the blank (to help you out, I have it printed like this, below). I know: if you’re a typical Lutheran, this is embarrassing. Don’t be embarrassed - that's the devil's work. But, if you simply can’t say it out loud, then mumble it or at least say it in your head. This is to demonstrate to you that the these perfect promises of God are perfectly delivered for you.

Fear not, _______, for I have redeemed you, _______; I have called you by name, _______; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you_______; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you, _______; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned _______ and the flames shall not consume you, _______.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Think on these words in the hours and days ahead. As the storm rages, wind blows, and waters roar and foam, the Lord, your God is with you for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

In the name of Jesus.

Amen.