Before time

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob; he who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Isaiah 43:1,2 ESV, emphasis mine

I came across this gem the other day. I've been in a season of refining and pruning. I've been beaten by the enemy, and though I am bruised and scarred, I am not defeated.
Back to our passage. I read this on a day full of confusion and self-doubt. God used His word here to remind me to whom I really belong. I reread this passage today, and something else stood out. God is telling His people, 700 years before Christ, that He HAS redeemed them. The redemption, the salvation, of His people had been His plan all along. The ultimate sacrifice had not yet been made, but the resulting redemption was complete.
Have I failed as a friend, a sister, a daughter? Have you missed the mark as a wife, a mother, an employee, a supervisor? Have you been wounded by the words or actions of others? Have you done the wounding? I can answer "yes" to many of these. Today, even. But the good news is, Christ has completed our redemption, even before time began, He says to us, "I HAVE redeemed you," no matter what, He loves us. He is FOR us.

Father God, Creator of all that is, and the One who formed me, I stand in awe that, even before You created time, you had MY redemption in mind. You knew my failures before I was created, and yet You chose to form me anyway. God, take my short-comings and my failures, and use them to grow me. Take my wounds and use them to make something beautiful. My life is Yours, God.