In Jesus You Are: Understanding Your Identity in ChristSample

Thursday: In Jesus I am Delivered

Read: Psalm 107:1–3, Isaiah 43:1–3, Romans 8:1–4

SOAP: Isaiah 43:1

"Now, this is what the Lord says, the one who created you, O Jacob, and formed you, O Israel: “Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine.”

Knowing someone’s name is significant. It means we have taken the time to get to know them, we’ve remembered them, and their name sets them apart from the other people we know. Using someone’s name when we speak to them shows honor and respect. The nicknames we give our loved ones or close friends add a level of familiarity and care. 

From the very beginning, you have been part of God’s plan. He knows you, He cares for you, and He put into motion a series of events that would all lead up to His beautiful plan to redeem humanity. In our Scripture reading today we are reminded that God created us, formed us, protects us, knows our names, and calls us His. 

Our identity as Christians is not based on what we have been able to accomplish, but on what has been freely done for us. In Jesus, we are redeemed through the great exchange of His life as payment for our sins.

We have been delivered (or redeemed), not by a distant God who puts all of humanity together, but a God who knows each of us by name. He knows you, He has a plan for you, He has given you gifts and skills and a specific place and time to use them for His kingdom. You are deeply loved by God – not as a number or a statistic or in general terms. He knows your name, and you are His. 

Prayer: God, it is overwhelming to think You know my name and care so personally about me. What an honor to be thought of and loved so much that You would call me Yours. It is through Your Son that I can claim my identity as a redeemed daughter of the King. Amen.