Isaiah 43:1-3

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name and you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.

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.

NIV

This is truly one of my favorite verses from the early days of being a new Christian. In those days, I inwardly struggled with a new identity in Christ that was different than my friends or husband. Those struggles often turned outward and discord would arise. I frequently felt very lonely and, eventually, fearful for my marriage’s survival.

As time went on, this verse would come to mean different things to me: my marital situation greatly improved with my husband’s salvation, but another circumstance would seem to arise that would test my faith. And then another.

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Over the years, the ebb and flow of life has been dauntingly wonderful in the perspective of the Lord’s love for me and His plan for this world’s redemption.

Without the filter of my eyes of faith, I would say things have been hard. Frustrating. Scary. Uncertain. Painful.

I have passed through the waters.

I have walked through the fire.

I was just saying the other day in a moment of absolute transparency, that I have moments when I wish I could just stop caring…because caring for others hurts. It hurts me in my heart and deep into my bones.

If I continue to be absolutely honest, I have moments where I wish I could be like the nice lady who told me about a good Samaritan:

A healthy man in his forties stopped on the side of the highway exit ramp to assist the young teenage girl who had pulled over with obvious car difficulties. One could assume that he made the choice to help her because he hoped someone would do the same for his wife/daughter/mother/son as he was doing.

Perhaps his act of kindness would be returned if the need arose.

While assisting the girl, he was struck by another car and was left paralyzed from the neck down.

From what I was told, his story did not end with a vibrant, overcoming conclusion. He died early on in his recovery secondary to complications.

The response of the woman who told me the story was “and that is why you don’t help people. It only gets you hurt.“

Yes. It does. But is not helping, not caring for the needs of those around us, really the answer???

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I have had my own physical issues that have threatened to overwhelm me, but the majority of my hurts through the years have come through the relationships I have with other people and their life issues.

If you walk around in this world, you are bound to begin caring for people- even loving them. Things tend to happen in their lives that you cannot dictate nor control…and those things have a way of “intersecting” with your nice, neat little life; more like being t-boned in a car crash.

I am not wanting to sound condescending, but I want to throw some questions out to you~

Did you know that there are people in this world that suffer from mental illness causing serious depression and suicidal ideation or eating disorders? Do you realize that “help” for them is marginal and limited so recovery is incredibly expensive and difficult?

Did you know that there are people in this world, maybe even in your neighborhood, that have cancer? Are you aware that those people suffer immensely, are terrified most of the time, have families that are achingly watching their loved one disappear in front of their eyes, and that there is no real guarantee of a cure or remission so people can actually die from it?

Did you know that there are people in this world, even in your church, that have marital crises that can end in divorce? Did you know that divorce has a domino effect onto the lives all around that marriage and not restricted to their children only? Have you ever thought that the devastating effects of divorce is limited to the two married instead of thinking about every single person who has loved that couple over the years and that “one divorce” can end OTHER relationships surrounding the situation?

Did you know that this world suffers from a serious problem with addiction? Have you considered to think that the “addict” was someone’s child, brother/sister, friend, cousin, or spouse at one point in their life? Have you thought about the possibility that this addict played happily as a child, was rocked by their mother in the night, felt the bliss of a first kiss, or the absolute joy of giving birth to a child of their own?

Did you know that sepsis can end the life of someone in two short weeks? Or that COVID can rip a family apart for months through the isolation of treatment and that person who is ill actually does die alone? Unless they are lucky enough to have their spouse at their bedside for that last breath, but only after she determines to end his life- sustaining treatment in an agreement with the hospital’s grey area visitors policy regarding Covid: you cannot be there when they are sick but you can be by their side when they are dying.

These issues, these specific issues, have broken my heart one right after another as the waves of grief keep surging.

I do care…so I hurt. My heart breaks for those I know…for those I am allowed to be around for this painful part of their story.

The waters we pass through are deep and murky, the rivers we go through have rapids, fierce undertows, and strong currents we cannot swim against, and the fires we walk through are HOT.

BUT~

This verse tells us to FEAR NOT because God will be with us in the waters, that the river water will not sweep over us, and that the fire will not burn us.

Notice that it does not say we won’t feel the effects of the deep, murky water, the strong current with an undertow in a river, nor the heat from the fire.

Notice that it does not say we won’t be IN the water, the river, or the fire.

In fact, it pretty much guarantees we will be in all three at some point in our lives!

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We are told to be UNAFRAID because we have a reason to be confident in the face of treacherous circumstances. This confidence comes from being redeemed by God: He has called us by our name and claimed us as His.

Redeemed is defined as being bought back (repurchased) and freed from what distresses or harms us.

GOD has done that…purchased us as His own and freed us from distress and harm… our confidence is found when our identity is secure as a child of God.

We will not be IMMUNE from the situation or circumstance that causes distress or could bring harm…but we are promised that these conditions will not drown us or set us ablaze:

2 Corinthians 4:8

We are pressured in every way (hedged in), but NOT CRUSHED.

We are perplexed (confused), but not driven to DESPAIR.

We are hunted down and persecuted, but not DESERTED or ABANDONED.

We are struck down, but never DESTROYED.

AMP

See how the passage from the apostle Paul speaks of hardships? The wish to be immune from suffering is nowhere listed…but a certain strength through the suffering is instead offered.

I may feel the pain and hurts that surround me but they will not crush me, lead me to despair, leave me abandoned, or destroy me- there is another alternative!

God is not necessarily offering us a supernatural option that was provided to Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego as told in Daniel 3 (although that is ENTIRELY possible!) which was to walk out completely unscorched by a literal fiery furnace. What He IS offering is Himself, the One who created us and formed us, through the trial.

This passage is written by the prophet Isaiah as a message from God to remind the people of Israel that He had created them and were special to Him. He had redeemed them and called them by name to be a people who belonged to Him whom He protected in times of trouble.

We have also been created in His image and called to take on His name- the name of Christian. His name gives all that is given to Christ; we are coheirs with Him!

I love the song by Jeremy Camp called Same Power as it reminds me that the “same power that rose Jesus from the grave lives in us.” That same power is part of our inheritance!

For God IS the Holy One of Israel and our Savior we do not need to be afraid: His power is alive in us!

“Going through rivers of difficulty will either cause you to drown or force you to grow stronger. If you go in your own strength, you are more likely to drown. If you invite the Lord to go with you, He will protect you”

NIV LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE

Personally, I am facing a river of difficulty. As waves of grief wash over me, I become more and more emotionally exhausted. The prospect of what it to come is overwhelming and frightening- especially if I dwell on it. That is MY choice: to choose to think about what has not happened yet or what makes me afraid OR what the Lord can and will do through this situation. My choice will determine whether I will drown or thrive within my difficult days.

When I look at this verse, I am reminded of what the Lord has done for me through different times of deep water and walking through flames…those times did NOT destroy me, crush me, lead me to despair, or leave me abandoned.

I may have been bruised or almost broken, but the Lord healed my hurts and put me back together. He also REDEEMED THOSE HURTS and used them for His glory.

What He has done before HE WILL DO AGAIN because I am His and He is mine.

That is MY confidence!

What waters are circling around you that threaten to overwhelm you?

What rivers are you passing through that are threatening to wash over you?

What are the fires in your life that are threatening you with its heat that burns?

FEAR NOT, FOR YOU ARE REDEEMED…YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED BY YOUR NAME AND YOU BELONG TO THE LORD. HE WILL BE WITH YOU EVEN IF THE WATERS SWEEP OVER YOU. THE FLAMES WILL NOT SET YOU ABLAZE IN THE FIRE.

Be UNAFRAID.