“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:”
Isaiah 43:2-3a KJV
Isaiah gives God’s promise, “When you pass through the deep, stormy sea, you can count on Me to be there with you. When you pass through raging rivers, you will not drown. When you walk through persecution like fiery flames, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you, for I Am your Savior, YAHWEH, your mighty God, the Holy One of Israel!” God’s method of deliverance is often not “out of” but “through”. His Presence as we go through difficulties becomes our deliverance. That was David’s experience as he sang psalms to God in worship, “Even when Your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for You already have! Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of Your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for You are near.” Although Isaiah spoke this from God to Israel, in the new covenant, God desires our faith in Him to be refined through our trials, tribulations and persecutions. As Peter put it, “The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again.” May our faith come out as gold. Amen!
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