Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So
“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story” Psalm 107:2
Redeemed.
It’s this concept of something starting out good, becoming corrupt or broken, then being bought back. It demonstrates a really unique love because the purchase happens after the point of corruption, but in God’s kingdom, the price is paid in full. It would be like buying a shattered iPhone at full retail price. Redemption can also mean freedom from oppression. A slave who was bought and then set free by the purchaser would have been considered to be redeemed.
The Christian community throws this word around like confetti, but I wonder if we are collectively watering it down. I see it a lot in the context of ‘my circumstances were hard for a while, but now they’re better - God has redeemed my story!’ God is certainly in the business of redemption, and He deserves all the praise and the honor and the glory. However…
What if someone’s circumstances don’t get better? What if the wishes don’t get granted and the desires go unmet? Does that make God less redemptive? Does it make him less good? Does redemption equal healing? Does it mean a healthy marriage or steady income or ease and comfort? Is God’s redemption reserved only for the prosperous?
No.
Your story isn’t redeemed when circumstances start to shift in your favor. It’s redeemed in the moment of your surrender.
Everything in the Bible points us to this picture of a Holy God loving a broken people. A Righteous Father loving his rebellious children. A Faithful Groom pursuing his unfaithful bride. The broken people are not redeemed when they are whole again, they are redeemed in their brokenness. The rebellious children are not redeemed once they start obeying, they are redeemed in their rebellion. The unfaithful bride is not redeemed once she is faithful again, she is redeemed in her adultery.
Love is natural to give when it’s earned and reciprocated. But love is divine when it’s poured out freely and unconditionally asking nothing in return for someone who doesn’t deserve it one bit. That’s redemptive love. That’s Jesus. God gave His son – paying the highest price to buy back his broken, sinful people - out of love.
God’s love meets us exactly where we’re at. He wants us just as we are - every wound, every blemish, every anger, every hurt. But we have to surrender. And that’s when our story is redeemed.
Losing Carey broke me.
My name is his, my children are his, my heart was his. My soul feels entangled with his so losing him was nothing less than faith-shaking heartbreak.
But God loves me with a redemptive love. A pursuing love.
In my lowest most shattered state, God indeed sees my highest worth and greatest potential, but he wants me now. He wants the broken down, chewed up and spit out me. And while He already redeemed my soul with the blood of Jesus, when I choose to continuously surrender, He also redeems my wounded heart with His presence. His Comfort. He redeems my heart with His peace that passes understanding, and with His promise for a future glory and eternity with Him.
I’m God’s. Fully. Whatever my story may look like, whatever circumstances may come - my identity is Christ. My name is beloved, and my children are heirs to the kingdom. His Spirit lives in my heart, and His words rest in my hands. Not because I am worthy or deserving, but simply because he loves me.
My soul is saved. My heart is redeemed.
Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so.
