Posted by I’m going to be very honest with the 4 of you that are actually reading this. This week was a very hard week for me. The other day I stood in the middle of my kitchen and told God “I’m done. I’m sick of fighting. I’m tired-I need a break. I give up.” Thank God that even when I give up (or try to give up), he doesn’t give up on me. After my “episode” I was reminded of these verses and they have been incredibly encouraging to me today.
Isaiah 43:1-3 says:
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
I don’t know about you, but when I’m going through a hard time it’s hard for me to remember these things. It’s easy for me to forget that God has redeemed me. It’s easy for me to forget that not only does God know my name, He has called me specifically. It’s easy for me to forget that I am God’s child. Thank God for his word that reminds us of these things when we forget them.
One interesting thing about this passage is that it says “When you pass through the waters…”. It doesn’t say “if”, but “when”. We all will experience opposition. We will experience tough times. There will be times when you feel overwhelmed, there will times when you feel like you’re drowning and times when you feel as though you can’t go any further. But thank God that the verse doesn’t end there. When we’re going through these tough times God is still with us. He will bring you through any situation that he brings you to. We don’t experience testing so that God can destroy us, we go through trials so that he can refine us.
If you’re going through something right now, don’t give up! Keep fighting. Keep pushing. Romans 8 tells us that we are more than conquerers through Christ Jesus. He has already secured the victory for us, we just have to endure. Remember that these waters will not consume you, the fire will not burn you, this situation cannot defeat you because God is for you and with you!
Work in Progress 