Going Through Deep Waters

Quite a few years ago on a night that felt very dark indeed, I sat in our living room feeling every bit of the deep waters, floods, and fire that Isaiah 43:2-4 speaks:

“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, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you.”

I had reached out to a friend to ask for prayer and she started to send me Bible verses. (Those middle-of-the-night people in our lives are a gift!) These verses spoke exactly to my need at the time. A comforting truth I was reminded to see is that God does take His children through hard things. Sometimes we can start to believe life and our Christian faith is all about feeling blessed, happy and fulfilled. But what about those times that is definitely not the case? It was a very real lifeline in the moment to know that God takes His children through such things. Far from being abandoned, instead I was held right in His hands.

Another truth that gave me comfort in these verses is that there is a “getting through it” part. Nothing we are going through lasts forever. The hard thing is still hard. The pain is still real or the battle is still something we have to engage. But we can know we are not ever alone and we can come through with our faith intact and even stronger than before. James 1:2-4: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

I also learned that coming through something involves steady steps of faith. A godly woman once told me that she felt “held” by God in a very difficult time in her life; and then she also felt like God was gently telling her to put her feet down and start taking small steps once the worst of that storm had passed. I can attest to God working in such a way. Some things seem to have a “done” aspect to them where we feel we got through that. Others can keep having some effect. An example would be my husband’s struggle with chronic pain as a result of a terrible cycling accident. That will never have a complete “through it” aspect in this life, but he would say it does have daily steps forward.

Everyone has storms in life that can hit in any area: physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, anything. These can come in unexpected ways. We can cause the storm by our own actions or sin; someone else’s actions or sin can be the catalyst; illness can strike; hard financial times hit. It’s not a matter of if, but of when. A key is whether or not our own storms result in growth and a deeper trust in our Savior, the Lord of our lives, or not. Our walk with the Lord affects our responses in life. If we have no relationship in daily life with our Heavenly Father, it will matter in times of need or testing. But if we have learned to know God, we will discover that He is a firm foundation that will never fail us.

Psalm 40:17 “I am poor and needy; Yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.”