Honored in my sight: Day 1

"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you" (Isaiah 43:4).

We have already looked at this verse focusing on the word precious, but today the Lord draws me to an unusual phrase used in this passage. He says that we are "honored in His sight." It is hard for us to really grasp the incredibleness of this statement. Here is the God of the universe . . . perfect in every way . . . with all authority over every power in the heavens and on the earth . . . telling us that He honors us! The first image that comes to my mind when I think of one besides God that we say is honored in our sight is a judge. In fact, we address him, "your honor." This title is given to him to connote respect and recognition of his power and authority. If we are sensible, we approach a judge in a humble, submissive way because we know he has the authority to set us free or put us in jail. Well,

in an even greater way, we are to address the Lord with this same "fear" knowing that He has the power and authority to set us free or punish us eternally. We are to come before Him with reverent fear, respect, and awe. We are to be humble and submissive before such a great King, Master and Lord. Amazingly, He has told us that if we trust in Christ to pay the penalty for our sins through His blood on the Cross, that we can address our Judge with the peace that He has set us free from the penalty of death. "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all" (Hebrews 10:10). Because of Jesus, we stand before our Father with confidence and gratefulness knowing that we are loved, accepted, and forgiven and in a secure eternal relationship with the living God. (Hebrews 4:16).

I think that we all agree that we are to honor God. But, this particular passage is talking about God honoring us! Say what?! God honors us? Yes, absolutely! As Hebrews says, because of Christ, we are made holy. Thus, when the Father looks upon us, we are His pure, precious, honored, and loved child. We are the sons and daughters of the King! He always looks upon us through the finished work of the Cross. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

(2 Corinthians 5:17).

Hallelujah, my honored sister!