Remember the times when you were growing up that two leaders would each begin to choose their team members? The first team captain would pick someone and then the other one would take his/her turn. Sometimes individuals were chosen because of a particular skill or talent. At other times it was about friendship, popularity, or pressure. In some instances, a leader or perhaps a teacher saw potential and simply wanted to be an encouragement. If it was for some athletic team, like baseball or volleyball, I knew that it would be a long time before I would hear my name. If it was for a spelling bee, I had a much better chance of being called very early in the selection process. Whether or not we ever discovered the reason, those times had the possibility of being life changing. To feel “chosen”, to receive an invitation, to feel included, certainly can have a significant impact on both a child and an adult’s self-esteem or sense of value and worth.
The personal reassurance, along with the prophetic details which Isaiah disclosed in chapters 45 and 46 are truly remarkable. God wanted to remind His people once again that He was the Lord of all creation. He was sovereign in the affairs of man and of history. He would continue to accomplish His purposes which included bringing salvation to all nations through His chosen people. As Isaiah spoke to the kings and to the people, he urged them to be very clear about who God really was. He wanted them to “fix it in their minds and take it to heart” so they would never yield to the temptation of turning to other gods. He reminded them of the promise God made to their forefathers that He would sustain and rescue them and someday He would restore the splendor of Zion, their beloved city of Jerusalem.
Even as God wanted to once again reiterate to His chosen people, the Israelites, His promise to be with them and to uphold them, the New Testament makes it very clear that as His beloved children, He offers to us the very same commitment. We, too, can look forward to the day when Jesus will come again and will make a new heaven and a new earth, can’t we? What are the promises from your Heavenly Father that you are counting on today?
