Hope in the Middle of the Torrent

Some of my favorite verses in all of scripture come from Isaiah 43. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine.” But these words are not spoken by a person with no reason to fear. A prophet in captivity has little voice, less influence, and no power. Nor does prophetic calling spare them from hardship. Yet Isaiah, while in captivity in a foreign land, imagines a future where the God of Israel redeems and rescues. These words can only be spoken from a place of hope. Indeed, Isaiah shows us what it looks like to put more stock in our hope than we do our circumstances.