Ultimate Redemption

Fear not, for I have redeemed you.

Isaiah 43:1, NKJV

Redeem is a big word in the Bible. I looked it up in my Scholastic Children’s Dictionary, where the definition read, “to exchange something for money or merchandise.”

When I was a little girl, my father worked for a company called Sperry & Hutchinson (S&H), which gave out green stamps at the grocery store based on the amount of money you spent. We always supported the store that gave out green stamps because it supported Daddy’s company, and we loved the rewards.

After shopping, Bubba and I would run home to lick and stick our stamps into little paper books, excited to watch the books pile up. We were saving up for something pictured in the prize catalog, or better yet, we’d go to the actual store where the merchandise was displayed and redeem our green stamp–filled books for some toy, game, or vacuum cleaner. (Please, Mama, not the vacuum!) It was so much fun to collect and save for free stuff.

As a child, I had a hard time understanding that there was a cost involved. That childlike mind-set is what I believe the Lord would like us to have when He says, “Fear not, Kim. Fear not, Sweet (insert your name). I have redeemed you.” Jesus Christ has purchased our freedom from the bondage of sin, at the ultimate cost to Himself, His blood shed on the cross.

We can’t begin to really understand all it cost Him, but because of what Jesus did, we can enjoy freedom from fear. He redeemed us for eternity, and He looks out for us perfectly and practically in this life.

What do you fear? Offer it back to God as a step of faith, thanking Him for buying your freedom and allowing you to enjoy living with childlike trust in Him.

Thank God today for removing our fears. If you need to release a fear to Him right now, please do so. He has redeemed you as His own at great cost.