Before the church used to have free parking, my wife and I would park on 51st street. We always tried to be real careful with the parking signs. One Tuesday night we parked the car and we both thought that we were OK with the signs. That night Pastor Don Wilkerson preached a message called “Redeemed”. It was a really good message but we didn’t feel like God was directing it to us. When we went to get our car it wasn’t there! At first we thought that someone had stolen it. When we went back to the church someone told us to find out if it had been towed. We called and found out that not only did they tow our car but also it was going to cost us $190 to get it back. We didn’t have any cash on us and no way to get any. There was another couple we knew still at the church who loaned us the $190 (later they told us we didn’t have to pay them back) and drove us to get our car. Thank you Jesus! Anyway inside we had to fill out this form with all the information about our car and wait in line to pay the cashier. Most of the people there were angry and cursing and while we weren’t happy about our car being towed, we felt the peace and joy of God. Finally I gave the paper and money to the cashier. Next cashier wrote something on the paper and then took a big stamp and banged it down on the paper and handed it back to me. When I looked at the paper it had written in big bold red letters “REDEEMED”. I was stunned and excited at the same time. We just looked at each other in amazement! I said, “OK God I get the point!”
Several years and 3 children later God again was speaking to my heart about being “Redeemed.” The Broadway Coffeehouse had just closed down, and I had just been on my second trip to Russia and I had an appointment to meet with Pastor Carter Conlin about going on the mission field full time. That morning I felt really nervous about meeting with Pastor Carter, partly because I was afraid of being rejected and partly because I didn’t feel like I had been as faithful as I should have. I remember crying out to God for His grace and mercy that morning before I went to work. I opened my Bible up and began to read Isaiah 43. As I was reading verse 1 it was as if God spoke the last 3 words right to my heart, “thou art mine”. I felt greatly comforted but I said, “God if that was really you please show me.” Anyway my meeting with Pastor Carter went very well and afterwards I was waiting in the church until it was time for the ministry leaders meeting. A brother in the choir was there showing off his new Bible and I told him that he should get a highlighter and highlight the scriptures that God spoke to his heart. Excitedly he says, “I already started” and opens to Isaiah 53:1! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Still once again I said to God, “confirm it again”. That night a visiting pastor preached and the next day when I told my wife about what God spoke to my heart from Isaiah 43:1 she reminded me of an illustration that the visiting pastor had used that night. He told the story of boy who had made a boat all by himself. One day the boy took the boat to the lake to sail it and it got away from him. Since he couldn’t swim he thought his boat was lost forever. About 2 weeks later he walks by a store and sees his boat in the window for sale! He goes inside and asks the man how much he wants for the boat. He everything he can to make money and saves it up so he can buy it back. After he finally get his boat back he says to his boat, “Now you are mine Twice! The first time I made you, the second time I bought you!” I felt absolutely overwhelmed with the goodness of God! In Isaiah 43:1 it says, “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.”
By William A. Cotton