But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Do not be afraid, for I am with you...

You are my witnesses, declares the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed - I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, declares teh LORD, that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he." Isaiah 43:1-3, 5, 10-12

I read this and I feel very insignificant, and yet...chosen. He tells us that he summons us by name and that we are his. And then he tells us what we should be about. We are witnesses to his greatness. We are witnesses to all people about who God is and what he's about. And when I think about what that really means, I feel overwhelmed. Why is this so hard? Why do I get so distracted by this world? Why is it so easy to desire some of those "foreign gods" he talks about?

I don't really have any great answers today. All I have is questions. Because if I'm honest with myself, there is nothing more in this world that I want than to be totally sold out for and immersed in the person of God. But the reality is that life seems to get in the way of that desire. Responsibility seems to get in the way. And of course that life and those responsibilities are defined by the world, so for the most part they are a little bit off base. Maybe a lot off base. And yet, they exist just as God exist. It's a choice every day of who we will serve. And I find myself struggling with the sometimes loneliness of really being set apart. I find myself asking once again for God to show me what He really means by "being in the world and not of it."

But I also feel comforted that He tells us that we are HIS! He will be with us as we wrestle with these and so many other questions and trials. He will be with us as we walk the difficult path of working out our salvation with fear and trembling. He will be with us when it seems like the whole world is against us. Maybe that's all we need. Maybe that's all I need.