Scripture: “Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.” – Isaiah 43:4
Examination: In this chapter, the Lord is speaking to those held in captivity in Israel, and He reminds them that He will be the One to save them from the Babylonian exile. He speaks of His love for them even when they have rebelled, and assures them that He will restore them to the land of Israel.
Application: One of the frequent natural disasters in the foothills of southern California, where I once lived, is wildfires. Most of the time, the fires were not near my home, but one year, there was a rapidly spreading fire that came dangerously close to my home. It was burning down the slopes of the hills across the street, and the firefighters told us to be ready to evacuate. I rushed to gather the things I believed were most important and packed them in our car. Some of the most precious things I packed were my photo albums. The pictures chronicled the life of my family and were priceless to me. I didn’t want to lose them.
There was one other thing I grabbed that was too precious to leave behind. That was my Bible. While I could have purchased another Bible in the event this one was burned in the fire, it wouldn’t have all the special verses highlighted and notated… verses that drew me to Jesus and led me to placing my faith in Him… verses that proclaimed the incredible love that God has for me… verses that gave me hope when all seemed lost… verses that helped me to grow in my faith as I learned more about my blessed Lord and Saviour.
The faith I have in Jesus is so precious! Peter affirmed this when he wrote, “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:” All through the Scriptures, I find the love of God for me in its pages! Nothing compares to His love. Nothing means more to me than knowing that I belong to Jesus, and He belongs to me. The love He has for me will never fade, never grow cold, never be replaced. Here are a few of my favorite verses that affirm His love for me.
- “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” – Jeremiah 31:3
- “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” – Ephesians 2:4-5
- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
Oh, what a precious love God has for you and me!
Memory Verse: “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” – Psalm 139:17
Through the love of God our Saviour, all will be well.
Free and changeless is his favour, all, all is well.
Precious is the blood that healed us, perfect is the grace that sealed us,
Strong the hand stretched forth to shield us, all must be well.
Though we pass through tribulation, all will be well.
Ours is such a full salvation, all, all is well.
Happy, still in God confiding, fruitful, if in Christ abiding,
Holy, through the Spirit’s guiding, all must be well.
We expect a bright tomorrow, all will be well.
Faith can sing through days of sorrow, 'All, all is well.'
On our Father’s love relying, Jesus every need supplying,
In our living, in our dying, all must be well.
(from “Through the Love of God Our Saviour” by Mary Peters)