”But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.“
Isaiah 43:1-2 KJV
Mary Magdalene is the perfect example of the redemption of the Lord. She was possessed by SEVEN demons all at once. Yet all of those demons had to flee when she came into contact with Jesus. However, have you ever wondered about what Mary's life was really like before she came into contact with Jesus? We know from Mark 15:40-41 that Mary Magdalene was one of the women who followed Jesus from the very beginning of his ministry in Galilea and were the ones right there when he was crucified. So, it is safe to say that Mary's redemption was one of the first, if not the first, of Jesus' healings and redemptions in his ministry, which means that it is likely that Mary had not even heard of this miracle-working man that could save her. I choose to believe that Jesus sought Mary out personally, as portrayed in The Chosen, and saved her because He knew her when she was formed. She is His. He felt compassion for her great need, and she poured out her gratitude for the rest of his time on earth right by his side... and she became the one honored with the privilege of being the first person to see him after he was resurrected when he called her by name, and she instantly knew her Lord was alive and well. But just think of that. She was filled with seven evil spirits, tormented by them constantly and daily. How does someone end up in such an awful scenario. Maybe she sinned so much that she was punished in this way, allowing the demons to come in and destroy her... No. Mary of Magdala was a Jew, and I am sure that she was raised to love God and rely on him. It is undoubted that she had to endure awful and terrible hardships to fall so low in her spirit that she was in a state for those demons to slip in. She went through awful times, and she fell back in her beliefs. She was human. We look at people in the Bible like they aren't human just like all of us. That's what I love about The Chosen; it shows us that these people were normal people just like us and tries to show how it could have reasonably and naturally been while sticking right to the scriptures. Mary went through the fire and fell into horrible hardships... but the Lord who created her redeemed her and set her free in the end. He calmed the raging storm in her mind and soul that raged daily.
This is what we go through as believers and non-believers. Just like Mary, we go through hard times in our life, and we ask ourselves "why is this happening to me" or "why do bad things have to happen to good people" or so on. As Christians we feel that we should be exempt from hard times because of our faith. Non-believers say that they won't believe because God punishes people with these awful tragedies like illness and death and disease or disaster. The truth is, we're all wrong if we think those things. The Lord said that he would be with us THROUGH the fire. That doesn't mean that he keeps us away from the flames of the trials in life. Sometimes they hurt us in ways that we cannot understand why that God would allow us to go through it. But sometimes things need to be put through fire in order to be perfected, like steel. What he did say is that he would take us through the fire and that we would not be burned. He will not put on us more than we can handle, even if sometimes you feel what you are going through is too much. Jesus is always there to bring us out, hold us in his arms, and remind us of who he is. He knew us before we were formed in our mother's belly, like he told Jeremiah, and he created us ALL for a purpose. The things we endure are to perfect us for our purpose. He will be our shield along the way. And like Mary, no matter how bad our situation is or how unworthy that we feel, he always forgives us and treats us with love. You really cannot be too far from God. He created you. He formed you. Don't be afraid of who you are, what you have done, or how undeserving that you feel to be loved so much by someone so great. He has redeemed YOU. You are his.
Thank you for reading with me today! The Lord bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift his face toward you and give you peace.
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