"When you go
through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of
difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you." Isaiah 43:2
Endurance.
Perseverance. We hear these
words, but usually we secretly hope we never have to exercise these spiritual
muscles. How we handle trials will
determine whether our faith strengthens or fades. We can sound lofty and idyllic all we want,
but if we fade with the coming of trials, all our speech is for naught.
The really hard trials, the loss of a child, a terminal
disease, prolonged unemployment, the loss of one's home, etc., these things can
break us, but that is not always bad.
When we are truly broken, we find we are not enough in ourselves to make
it through. It is at that moment that we
either let bitterness and depression get a foothold, or cry out to God for
help, which He is always faithful to give.
"He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you
trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a
buckler." Psalm 91: 4
He may not always change our circumstances, and this is
where it gets gritty, He did not promise to do that, He promised to see us
through and never leave us. . As we grow in our faith, at first this can
seem like little comfort and help, but as we grow and mature, we see the true
gift that it is. Banging our heads
against the wall helps nothing and only gives us a headache. Quietly trusting, even when our hearts are
absolutely breaking, will bring us through to the other side with a confidence
in our God that we had not before experienced.
Which leads to greater faith for whatever comes.
We are strengthened, with an unshakable belief that God
will never fail us, which enables us to minister to those around us. Literally being a trail blazer to another
sojourner in need of a scout to show the way.
I pray that we all experience this kind of intimacy with the Savior,
resulting in an even closer bond with the One who is Everything.
