I am Redeemed
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1
Jessie
Dixon, the beloved Gaither Band singer, was once asked in an interview how he
hoped to be remembered when his life on earth was over. Without hesitation, he
answered, “he was redeemed.” Redemption, for him, wasn’t an abstract
theological concept. It was personal — a rescue, a reclaiming, a declaration
that his worth had already been settled by God Himself.
To be
redeemed means your story is no longer defined by your failures, wounds, or
past. It means Someone has stepped into your brokenness and said, “This one is
worth saving.” Jessie Dixon understood that deeply. For all his musical gifts
and influence, the core of his identity was not performer, singer, or legend —
it was redeemed one.
His desire
to be remembered as “redeemed” wasn’t humility for show; it was clarity. He
recognized that the greatest truth about a person is not what they accomplish,
but who they belong to. Isaiah 43:1 reminds us of this same truth: God has
spoken our name, redeemed our life, and claimed us as His own.
To belong to
God is to be held, to be claimed, to be loved with a love that does not shift
when life does. It means your worth is anchored in something unshakeable.
There is power in knowing you are redeemed. It isn’t boastful or self-made. It is an acknowledgment of grace — a recognition that something has been done for us that we could never do for ourselves. Isaiah 43:1 gives that confession its foundation: “But now, this is what the Lord says — he who created you… he who formed you… Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
To say “I am redeemed” is to step into the truth of this verse
and allow it to define your identity. When that truth becomes the center of who
you are, fear loses its power. Legacy becomes simple. Life becomes rooted.
Because you know whose you are.
To be
redeemed means you are not an accident. You didn’t just happen. Isaiah 43:1
begins by reminding us that the One who speaks is the One who created and
formed us. Redemption is not God rescuing a stranger; it is the Creator
reclaiming what He lovingly shaped. When you say “I am redeemed,” you are
declaring that your life is not random, wasted, or overlooked. You were formed
with intention, and God has never lost sight of you.
God is not
telling His people to toughen up or pretend they aren’t afraid. He is giving
them a reason why fear no longer has to rule them. Fear often grows out of
uncertainty — uncertainty about the future, our worth, or whether God is truly
with us. God addresses that uncertainty by grounding His words in what He has
already done. Fear loses its grip when you realize your life is held by Someone
who has gone to great lengths to claim you.
To hear God
say, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,” is to hear Him speak directly into
the deepest anxieties of the human heart. It is His way of saying, “You are
safe with Me. Your story is not over. Your identity is secure. You belong to
Me.” Redemption places your identity on solid ground — not on what you do, but
on what He has done.
“Do not
fear” is not a demand for emotional perfection. It is an invitation to rest in
what God has already accomplished. Fear fades when you realize redemption is
not fragile. It does not depend on your performance, your past, or your
strength. It depends on God’s faithfulness. To say “I am redeemed” is to anchor
your courage in His completed work.
To be
redeemed also means you are known personally. “I have summoned you by name.”
Not by label. Not by reputation. Not by what others think of you. God calls you
by the name that carries your story, your wounds, your hopes, your identity.
Redemption is not a mass transaction; it is a personal calling. When you say “I
am redeemed,” you are acknowledging that God sees you fully and still chooses
you completely.
“I have
summoned you by name” is the language of intimacy, recognition, and deep
personal knowing. Many translations use the word “called.” When God says, “I
have called you by name,” He is declaring that His relationship with you is not
distant or vague. He is not calling out to a crowd; He is speaking to an
individual. Your name carries your personality, your history, your dreams. God
speaks into all of that. He does not redeem an anonymous soul — He redeems you,
with full knowledge of who you are.
And then the
final phrase lands with breathtaking simplicity: “You are mine.” Not in the
sense of possession, but in the sense of belonging. Not ownership, but
relationship. Not control, but covenant. “You are mine” is one of the most
intimate declarations God makes in Scripture. In Isaiah 43:1, it completes a
progression of identity: created… formed… redeemed… called by name… and
finally, claimed — you are mine.
In declaring
“you are mine,” God is saying, “I will care for you. I will guide you. I will
walk with you through fire and flood.” This is why the verse begins with “Do
not fear.” Fear loses its grip when you know you are held by Someone who will
not abandon you. “You are mine” is both comfort and commissioning — a reminder
that your life carries divine significance.
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