Isaiah 63:16 But you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us
or Israel acknowledge us;
you, O LORD, are our Father,
our Redeemer from of old is your name.

This is the prayer of every Gentile Christian today, if they have any understanding of the Bible at all. Sadly, many Jews today do not acknowledge Christians as being from the same spiritual stock, because they depend on physical genetics. As Paul wrote repeatedly in his letters, spiritual descent is more important than physical, and that is what this verse is all about. Paul also pointed out, particularly in Romans and Galatians, that the spiritual reality doesn’t nullify God’s promises to Abraham’s physical descendants through Isaac, but they too need to make the spiritual connection to receive God’s salvation. From the moment of creation there has never been any Creator besides Yahweh, no Savior besides God, and that certainly qualifies as “from eternity past.” That is just as true for Gentile as for Jew, and that is an essential part of the Gospel. Our understanding of just what a “redeemer” is, is generally deficient. Anyone who has ever pawned something should have some insight, because that too involves redeeming. As a very foolish college student I once pawned my clarinet, and the joy and relief I felt when I repaid the money and got my clarinet back was indescribable. God redeemed us from slavery to sin by paying the highest price ever paid, the body and blood of His own Son. That is the Gospel, that God is indeed our Redeemer, that He loves us that much. Believing and acknowledging that is the only way to be saved.

This of course is the major thrust of my life at this point, since I am a pastor in a society that is at least 98% non-Christian. My heart’s cry is that as many as possible would believe and trust that their Creator is indeed their Redeemer, and commit themselves to Him as His disciples. I am constantly reminded that I can’t save anyone on my own, so I’ve got to remember and trust that He can and will use me in saving others. Not only that, I need to get it through to each of the believers that God can and will use them, just as much if not more than He will use me. My track record to this point is somewhat like using a pair of pliers for a hammer; the nail may go in, but the process is hardly elegant or efficient. I need to help each believer discover what sort of a tool they are in God’s toolbox, so that they may rejoice to be available to Him for His purposes.

Father, thank You for this reminder of why You have me here. Help me not focus on the difficulties, but rather on Your power, love and grace, so that as many as possible may indeed know You as their Redeemer, in the magnificence of all that means. Thank You. Praise God!