Through the Storm

“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God…” Isaiah 43:1-3

During a visit, the youth asked one of our eldest seniors to share their favourite scripture verse. We were all excited to discover what words of hope might have carried her through life, and waited patiently to hear her response. One of the passages she named was Isaiah 43:1-3. Once we found the passage in our Bibles, we read it together. After reading, we were all encouraged by God’s promise to be with us and to preserve us in the midst of life’s various trials. Knowing that we could walk through the fires of life and not be burned brought security, and a beautiful reminder of the God we serve. But there was even more to the passage than we realized. Our senior noted that we must remember the word “through”. She pointed out that the scripture reads, “When you pass through the water, I will be with you”. She encouraged that this means there is another side to our situation and God is promising to be with us, and to protect us while He brings us from one side to the other. We don’t remain in the fire forever, we walk through it. Though we enter many different fires throughout our lives, we must be confident that we will come out on the other side of each one.

In life, we experience situations where we feel overwhelmed, overpowered, and hurt. Let us remember that we are moving through. You will not always be unnoticed, you will not always be out of work, you will not always be alone, and you will not always feel the pain that you do. God loves you and has called you by name. He promises to be with you, and to preserve you as He brings you through. Keep pressing on, there is another side to your situation, and by God’s grace, you are on your way there.

By Luke Charles