Problems
Isaiah 43:
1-2
But now this is what the Lord says, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you O Israel: "Fear not, 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."
Many Christian people treat each problem as if it is their first and that God has no tract record. The Word of God gives us many examples and helps in times of troubles, disappointments and trials. Notice in our selected text the passage does not say "if you pass through the waters" it says "when you pass through the waters implying that you will go through tough times. Now what is the promise? That God will cause the rain to cease? That He will put out the fire that is scorching your soul? No! God promises us two things.
The first promise is "I will be with thee". The God who made you will not forsake you. Part of the process of passing through the deep waters is to remind us that He is with us and that His presence is all that we need. We know that water or fire cannot hinder Him. But if we forget to call upon Him we will struggle and be frustrated.
The second promise is that these circumstances will not overtake us. The water will not drown us nor the fire singe our hair. Jesus lives in us and if we go under so does He.
Now it may destroy our bodies but God has an answer for that. He has a plan and a place for us when this world rejects us. There is coming a fire that can take a soul but believers will never see it or experience it.
How do we know that this promise is for us? Because it is for those He has redeemed. He has called us my name. We are His. Therefore there is no fire hot enough to steal our joy. If we are walking with Him day by day we experience His presence as we go through tough times and the tough time will come.Many of us forget these two very basic principles. The results of forgetting is pain, loss of joy, no peace, and lack of direction. Many Christians desire a life that is smooth and trouble free, but the apostle Paul was shipwrecked, beaten, rejected by Christians, tortured and jailed. Many Christians desire a long, healthy life when God's own son died at age 33.
God is with you, if you are His and will never leave you. Trust Him and quit demanding explanations and a utopian lifestyle. God knows what He is doing.
