ISAIAH 43:1-4 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. 2 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. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush[a] and Seba in your stead. 4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.
These are some of my FAVORITE verses in Scripture because they are comforting and remind me that no matter how hard life gets, no matter how much I feel like I can’t breathe, make another decision or make it through another day, GOD says you will never encounter too much. You won’t encounter more than you can handle. You won’t go so deep in your grief, pain or sorrow that I wont be there to lift you up, carry you through and deliver you from the raging fire you are in. He in fact, promises to give whatever it takes to save your life. He promises that you will not sink or be burned. He promises to love you, hold your hand and walk with you through the muck of life. REMEMBER, you are precious and honored in HIS sight.
Listen you are not alone. So many people are walking life out in survival mode, waiting for the day to end just so that they can fall asleep and not have to deal with life anymore. So many people have given up hope. They live in complete darkness and they feel like the furnace they are in can’t get any hotter. But it is in the heat of the fire that are faith is increased. It is in the fire that we see God face to face, we see his faithfulness and we see the depths of his love. You see God doesn’t cause bad things to happen but he does allow things to happen to purify, refine and grow us closer to HIM.
I love the words to this HILLSONG song.. Christ alone, Cornerstone, weak made strong in the Saviors love, through the storm, he is LORD, Lord of all.
It’s really that simple. Christ alone is our cornerstone. He is our strength, our guidance our healer and redeemer. In the midst of the storm he hasn’t and will never leave you. He is LORD and reigns forever. The problem here is that in the midst of the storm we forget HE is Lord and we try to be our own lords.
Gods promises are real and his love endures forever. His love is unfailing, unconditional and is so deep and wide and all encompassing that it truly surpasses our understanding. If you are coming out of a storm, in the midst of one or preparing yourself for the next one, dig deep within the Scriptures. Know who you are and to whom you belong. Soak in his promises and truths and seal yourself with his protection, peace and grace. I know it seems when you are getting beaten up and you think you can’t take another gut wrenching punch in the stomach, you get punched again but in the moment reach out your hand because HE is there extending his hand out to you, reaching for you and helping you stand up. We might not always know how to handle ourselves in the midst of a crisis but if we know our identity in Him, surrender our crisis to him and allow Him to go before us to cut down, break down and conquer the flames of the fire set before us, He will calm the storm, be our strength and he WILL put out the fire. We just cannot have any expectations other than the simple truth and fact that HE loves each and every one of us so passionately and deeply that he will never let his children drown or be burnt. The question isn’t why isn’t he here, but rather are you allowing him to be there???
Grow your faith, take it to a deeper level. Trust him, seek him and open the door when he knocks so he can come in. Ask him to sit down and have dinner with you. Put your head on his lap and allow him to run his fingers through your hair. Place your head on your pillow at night and listen for his heartbeat. He is ALL around you and he wants a relationship with you. But are you going to take the “risk” and allow him to guide you and lead the way?? As hard as it is for me to lose control over things, I say YES YES YES. Yes to him and his promises. Yes to a love I so desperately need and desire and YES to being in a relationship with the almighty, all powerful, all embracing, and loving ONE TRUE KING.. Saying Yes to Jesus as truly transformed my life. Are you ready for your life to be transformed?