Are you feeling “outside of chosen” in your life right now? Maybe you are haunted by past wrongs and doubt that God’s promises of forgiveness are for you. Maybe you’ve seen your social circle dwindle amidst losses, conflict, and the passing of time. Maybe you feel excluded by or unworthy of the action and opportunities that surround you. Regardless of the source, we can all relate to what it feels like to be an outsider—rejected, humiliated, and lonely.

If we pause and take a look back through the history of God’s plan for salvation, we clearly see that the Gentiles were outsiders as well. They were not God’s chosen people. The Savior would not come from their ancestral line. They were not set apart.

While pondering the beautiful flow of Isaiah’s prophecy, we might put ourselves in the early Gentiles’ shoes as they listened to the message unfold. Like all sinful people of all time, they would have felt their sin and their unworthiness. They would have recognized that they were outsiders, living in a sinful condition that separated them from a holy God.

Perhaps, then, the Gentiles had a bit of doubt that Isaiah’s hopeful words about God’s loving care for the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks of this world—the weak and weary sinners like us—could apply to them. Perhaps they heard God say, “I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people” and knew that the “people” he was referring to were the Jews. Like the kid on the playground who knows he won’t get picked for the kickball game, the Gentiles may have been ready to turn away and shuffle slowly home. And then, in a glorious moment that defied expectations, they heard the beautiful words that the Savior would come as “a light for the Gentiles” as well.

No longer were the Gentiles outside of God’s promises. They were called by name to be part of God’s plan to redeem them from their separating sinfulness and burdened consciences. They were included, loved, held, and saved! What sweet relief!

If you’ve been feeling like an outsider, know that God’s promises are for you as well. They belong to you. Hear him say to you, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” When you feel weak and bruised, your tender God won’t let you be broken. When your faith is shaken and doubts loom around you, he will not extinguish the flame, because he is faithful.

How can I so confidently say that God will keep you close and that his promises are for you? Because he backs his promises with outstanding credentials. Listen to the magnitude of who your God is and what he has done: “the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.” The very God who creates and sustains the world sees you personally, knows you intimately, and cares about every detail of your life. You are chosen.