I will be with you, a reflection on Isaiah 43:1-2

As a native English speaker, I can't seem to avoid hearing the "you" in these verses as meaning me. Isaiah, however, was speaking to a nation not to one single individual. "The Lord created you, formed you, redeemed you, called you by name, will be with you." 

Yes, I am part of that "you," but remembering that I am part is essential to my understanding of the necessity to be in a community.

Commentators tell me these verses are from what we now term as Second Isaiah and were written at the end of the Babylonian Exile. They still speak to us.

We need to hear the assurance, "Do not fear," because, well, we still are fearful. And because of that fearfulness, we need to hear those reassurances.

And because I am so tied up with what happens to me, I need to be reminded that God is caring for us.

Lectio Divina: Isaiah 43:1; Psalm 29:5-6