Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14 ESV)
The people of Alaska developed a unique mindset at the end of the 19th century. On the one hand, their land was harsh. It’s awfully cold. In the Winter, the sun only rises for minutes each day. Even the Sea was usually frozen solid for over six months. While some financial success had been achieved with the hunting of whales, walruses, and seals… those resources were dwindling.
Alaska was the worm on the food chain of the Pacific Rim.
But on the other hand, the Alaskans were persistently sought, haggled over, purchased… and desired. Throughout the modern era, the Eskimos, the Siberians, the Russians, the French, the Spanish, the British, the Canadians, and the Americans all laid claims to Alaska’s vast land.
And those two hands made for an odd grip on life.
They knew they were worms… but they knew they were wanted. And so they smiled, even in the dead of Winter.
Christians, the post-cross ‘men of Israel,’ are similar.
We know we aren’t worth much. We know our sins and our sinfulness. We know our unreliability and our backsliding. We know how much we forget and how much we ignore. Isaiah is right to call us worms, spiritually.
But we have been sought, haggled over, and purchased. And we are desired by the Holy One of Israel!
Worms have a lot to fear.
But the Redeemed Worms of Israel do not!
Fear not, because we are Redeemed.