Passing Through the Waters

 

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 (Isaiah 43:2, ESV).

With the enemy thundering at their heels, the Children of Israel rushed forward hoping for an escape from Pharaoh's army. The Egyptians had set them free, only to change their minds and pursue them on their flight from bondage. God had delivered them—or so they thought. As they were pursued, they came to a roadblock. The Red Sea lay before them and the enemy behind. They were trapped. Fear, doubt, anger and uncertainty likely held each of them captive. Why would God deliver them only to bring them to certain death at the banks of the sea?

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided (Exodus 14:21, ESV)."

Deliverance came for them through the gracious hand of God and their enemies perished in the waters as they closed on those Egyptians. The waters did not overwhelm them.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to kneel down to the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar had made. Refusal to worship this false god would result in a serious punishment—they would be thrown into a fiery furnace. What a terrifying verdict, and yet when we read further we read these words in Scripture:

"Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?" They answered and said to the king, "True, O king." He answered and said, "But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods (Daniel 3:24-25, ESV).""

Deliverance came for these men through the gracious hand of God for their faithfulness to Him. The fire did not consume them.

What waters are you currently facing? Is there something you're facing that seems impossible? Do you feel trapped by your circumstances and can't seem to find a way out? Is it finances? An addiction? A troubled relationship? An affair? Or maybe you're facing foreclosure. What waters have you feeling fearful and discouraged?

What fires are you facing? The loss of a loved one? An unfaithful spouse who abandoned you? A pregnancy that is seriously in jeopardy? A family scandal or job insecurity? Do you feel the heat and wonder how you'll ever survive it? 

Deliverance doesn't always look like we think it should, but the God who parted that sea, and the same God who walked through the fire with those Hebrew men is still God today. When waters or fires threaten to consume and overwhelm us, He is our only solid answer and the only true Source of hope. 

May we be encouraged today in trusting that God knows our situation and He also knows our need. While He won't always remove hardships we experience, He will always meet us in the middle of them. He does always give us the strength and courage we need to face our trials and in these trials we face the promised refining—being made more like Jesus each day.

Waiting On Your Answer

     The days ticked by, and still it wasn't happening. It just didn't seem to matter how much I prayed, or how much hope I tried to muster, he still wasn't home. I believed God was able, but I couldn't figure out why He wasn't stepping in and giving me the desires of my heart. I waited. I hoped. I prayed. I believed-yet, God chose to allow the situation to continue. I couldn't understand it in those days and months-it simply didn't seem right. I felt much like the father in the story of the prodigal son, faithfully waiting for my own prodigal to return, only to go to bed each night again, disappointed and lonely.
     Waiting doesn't come easy for any of us when we are waiting for something we desperately want. Surgery dates, root canals, court dates and the last day of vacation don't work that way. Those come much quicker than we can even imagine, but not the anguished prayers of our hearts-those take time. Even so, God has great purpose in our waiting, and oftentimes He withholds our answer because He is doing a greater work in our own hearts and lives. It's our moment of being purified by His fire, and the goal is the become more like Him. It burns and it hurts, but the process is for our spiritual good-good that has eternal value. 
     What are you waiting for today? What desperate pleas are you lifting up to our heavenly Father? Is it a child that has wandered from their faith? Is it a husband that has fallen to alcoholism? Is it a daughter who carries a child conceived out of marriage? A husband content to play video games and skip church? A wife who is unfaithful and unwilling to return home? Is it a sick child-fragile, and too young to die? Or maybe your job situation is less than ideal, and causes you great anxiety and stress. Some of us are in the middle of some pretty big trials, and some much less, yet we all have walked inside situations we longed to escape. 
     If you're one of the ones that feel desperate today, can I encourage you not to lose hope? Can I remind you that in this season of waiting, God is refining you? Can I encourage you that He only refines His own children, and that by walking through this trial, you can feel connected to Him as your Father? I won't profess to love my own seasons of waiting, because I can promise you, those seasons are painful. And while they are painful, they are also sweet. I've never felt closer to Jesus than in those dark valleys of waiting. Because it was in those moments that I knew my absolute need of Him. And He never lets us down in those seasons-He is always faithful and always giving us the strength and comfort we need to wait another day.
     Friend, keep praying, and don't lose heart! There is no situation too difficult for God, and there is no situation He doesn't walk with us. We are not left alone to figure it out on our own. We often feel we are, and take matters into our own hands only to make a bigger mess of it. As hard as it is somedays, trust Him with it all. Believe that He's working, even when you can't see it. And never stop looking for your own prodigal to walk down that long road toward home. And when it happens-praise the God of Heaven each day for His goodness to us. 

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, ... Ezekiel 34:16a (ESV)
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost Luke 19:10 (ESV).
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." And they began to celebrate Luke 15:24 (ESV).

Dear heavenly Father, we are all prodigals, and You've waited so long for each of us so many times. You know the anguish of our hearts, and are no stranger to waiting. Give us patience and hope as we wait for You to do a marvelous work through our prayers for Your ultimate glory. In Your name we pray, Amen!