He is with you
Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you.
Isaiah 43: 1-2 (ERV)
The pressures and troubles of this life have a way to weary us and bring us down. They become so burdensome that oftentimes we feel defeated. It sometimes feels like life has gotten the best of us. We may feel like there is no way out and we are simply just stuck.
When we observe the world we live in today, it does feel like it has taken a wrong “u” turn. We have no idea what is coming next. The uncertainty of this world’s activities is rather unpredictable and this can bring concern to us. Some live daily in fear. Fear of the unknown has a unique ability to keep one trapped and in boundage. We can become afraid to make the next move, afraid to pursue our hearts desires, afraid to socialise, afraid to just be free. It appears that the events of this world want to cripple our freedom.
In Isaiah 43 God reminded His people through the Prophet Isaiah that He was the one who created them. He named them and saved them from the boundage of their time. It’s the same message to us in our time. He created you. He knew during this time every single situation you are now facing even before you were born. But what He wants you to know today is that He is with you no matter what you encounter.
I love the honesty of God. He didn’t say that we wouldn’t go through troubles, as a matter of fact He clearly let’s us know that WHEN we go through them He will be with us. He proves Himself to be Emmanuel time and time again. He says to you that when you encounter troubling situations; He will be there with you. He will become your comforter and He will still be your knight in shining armour because He will be the one to fight the battles for you.
He promises you that when you are met with the rivers, you will not get hurt crossing over. Have you ever crossed a river loaded with slippery stones? I live in the Caribbean and one of the fascinating things about residing there is the opportunity to enjoy a rejuvenating lifestyle. I remember hiking with friends and one of the features you must encounter is a river. In order for us to get to our final destination we needed to cross at least one river. Truth be told; not all rivers are created equal. Some are easy to cross with a small quantity of stones and shallow water , but there are those which are filled with slippery stones, logs, and waters that may suddenly overflow their banks. Yet still my friends and I always managed to safely make it across. Some of us might have fallen into the river or on the log, slipped on stones but we made it out alive. It’s the same with this life. It resembles a river; unpredictable, but God reminds you that when you cross it, though you may slip and slide, you will not get hurt because He will be with you. He will get you across before any unforeseen event occurs because He loves you.
He promises that when you go through fire, the flames will not consume you. That reminds me of the three (3) Hebrew boys: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These boys are excellent examples of what it means to trust in their God no matter what. As a result of their personal relationship with God, they believed without a shadow of doubt that He would walk with them even right into a fiery furnace and He did. As we grow and develop a more intimate relationship with Abba, we will understand the depth and height of His Love. We will know just like the three (3) Hebrew boys how to truly trust in Him even when we are dealing with fire. If we put our trust in Him, just like the three (3) Hebrew boys we will experience the supernatural in our life and then have the confidence to face the fiery situations that may want us to bow to them.
We have a Father whose words can never return to Him void. It must accomplish what it was sent out to do. I want to encourage you to keep your eye on Jesus even when you are in the heat of the storm. Stay Focused on Him because His eyes are always watching you. He Loves You!
If God is for us, Who can stand against us!
