“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. “
—Ephesians 1:4–5

One of the most foundational truths that has anchored me in God is the realization that I have been chosen. As a new believer in 1978, I looked around and wondered why I was the only Jewish person in my whole school, which had many Jews, who believed in Jesus. Then I realized that I believed because God had revealed Himself to me in a way that He had not revealed Himself to the other Jewish people in my school. I realized He had chosen me.

In John 17 Jesus prayed for those whom the Father had given Him. And in John 6 Jesus said that no one can come to Him unless it had been granted from the Father and that all whom the Father had given Him would come to Him (vv. 65, 37).

Beloved, it is an awesome blessing when you realize that you were personally and specifically chosen by God the Father before the foundation of the world. And because He chose you, He revealed Jesus to you, gave you faith, and brought you to Himself. Even if your coming to faith wasn’t dramatic but happened slowly over time, you came to faith by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit because the Father had chosen you even before you were born.

When you realize that the security of your relationship with the Father is based on His choice of you, you will know that you are standing on solid ground. Jesus said in John 15, “You did not choose Me but I chose you” (v. 16). Taking a hold of this truth will give you a confi- dence in your relationship with God that can come no other way.

Father God, in Messiah Jesus’ name I ask You to open the eyes of my understanding to be able to realize that truly You chose me before the foundation of the world because You love me. Because my relationship with You is rooted in Your choice of me and Your love for me will never change, I can be secure in You. Help me to take hold of this.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Revelation (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2020), Used by permission.