In Isaiah 43:2-3 it says, “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, 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. For I am the Lord your God.” (TLB)
When I became a Christian, did I expect life to suddenly be easy?
Well I found out pretty quickly that Christians face all kinds of trials—including relational, financial, physical, and mental. Some people expect life to be heaven on earth. But I need to remember this earth is not heaven!
We pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven—because then it would be done perfectly.
But on earth, God’s will is seldom done. Everything on this planet is broken. The weather, the economy, bodies, and relationships don’t always work right. We can be sure that, because of sin, bad things will happen.
I can be assured of God’s promises to support me in all the trouble I will face on earth.
Today’s verse reminds me, “When you go through deep waters and great trouble, 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. For I am the Lord your God” (Isaiah 43:2-3 TLB).
So, when I go through deep waters and rivers of difficulty, God doesn’t promise that I won’t get wet; sometimes life hurts. But God does promise that I’m not going to drown. When I go through the fire, it’s going to get hot. But God promises that I’m not going to burn up. I’m going to make it through.
Philippians 4:13 reminds me that, “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace]” (AMP). That doesn’t mean that I can do anything because of who I am. It means I can have confidence in whatever trouble life brings because I face it with the power of Christ in me.
I may not feel very strong right now. But strength will come when I need it. The Bible doesn’t say to ask God for my weekly or monthly bread. It says to pray something like this: “God, give me my daily bread. I need just enough strength for today.”
God will support me in my trouble. He always gives me the strength I need for today.
Going through rivers of difficulty will either cause me to drown or force me to grow stronger. If I go in my own strength, I am more likely to drown. However, If I invite the Lord to go with me, he will protect me
I think God wants me to ask him for enough strength only for today, so that I can learn to rely on him, vs. having a plan all laid out. I worry most about my life balance between my full time occupation, my part time coaching practice, my ministry and family life/time. I can tend to over do it, especially with my full time work. Even though I’m getting better with this, I am filling in other time with my coaching and ministry. God I need your guidance so that I can make a difference in the lives of others including my family. When I reflect back, even in the toughest times, God has always been able to help me realize the peace that comes from him. I need to embrace this more by spending more time in prayer and discussion with him.
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