In need of a pick-me-upper? Here’s today’s Holy Nougat?
“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 NLT
What a promise!
No matter what we face, God is with us. In the midst of our difficult situations we have a guarantee that there is One Who walks on water and is obeyed by nature – and He is the One Who is with us.
Swimming upstream against strong downstream currents? God’s neither surprised nor absent. Can’t swim and the water’s above your head – I guarantee you, from personal experience – God’s good for you. I was literally out at sea, water above and beneath me, and had God rescue me. If He did it for me, rest assured – you are worth more than sparrows, God’s got you too.
It may be that you’re not so much in deep waters as you’re at a crossroads. Guess what? I am here as a witness that Jesus is not slack on promises concerning any of us; He is a worthwhile GPS system. Trust His directions; He knows where we need to go and how to get us there. We can put our trust Him in every situation! Not cliches, facts.
For some of us, water isn’t an issue. It’s the flames of oppression. Those of us who know, we know. Yet, it sometimes seems as though we are like that lone traveler mentioned in an old poem – it’s just me alone who is traveling the land with my little butter pan no one understands! In times like those, when the flames of adversity rise from different point, and the smoke of adversity wears on us, it may seem like even God has left us behind. Like Jesus on the Cross, we cry out ‘My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me.’ I want to suggest to us, even when the sky goes dark for hours – as though God can’t bear to see our pain – let’s remember; out of the ashes comes life again. There is a resurrection morning and it’s not only for Lazarus. Moreover, we have the promise that the flames of oppression can lick at our being, but when we focus on God, the flames will not consume us. It’s hard to conceive, but it may be that we take God at God’s Word, with the occasional reminder to God of the promise.
So, what are we waiting for? Amidst all we face – stress, trials, debt, oppression – why handle it alone – We place our day, our life in His hands. Let’s remind God in advance – on Christ we stand; all else is sinking sand!
