What amazing truth we have every single day in God's word!
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)
Endurance. Perseverance. We hear these words, but usually we secretly hope we never have to exercise these spiritual muscles. We are in the midst of a time like we have never known with the Corona Virus. In addition, e face a myriad of problems in life, usually involving loss of some sort. How we handle that will determine whether our faith strengthens or fades. Faith is something that grows when it's worked.. When we walk through trials that take us to the depth of our soul.. like loss, disease, children not following a good path, loss of jobs, security in finances gone... when we have trials... our faith is given the opportunity to grow.
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 you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:4 ESV)
God may not always change our circumstances, but has promised to see us through and never leave us. At first this can seem like little comfort and help, but as we grow and mature, we see the true gift that it is. 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.
So my friends, as we walk through the deep waters, we are given an amazing opportunity not to turn inward, to turn UPWARD... We can show our faith like never before and draw others in to the hope we have in Jesus... We can be a trail blazer to another sojourner (we are only here for a short time) 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.
Let's walk through this showing our faith and trust in the Lord, encouraging others despite the circumstance we are in. If you are in the fire, reach out... we are here for each other. More than that the Lord is here for each of us and growing our faith like never before. Let's take this opportunity and seize it for the Lord. Hasten the day!
Grateful.
Please share how your faith is growing through this time!
Here is our song for today!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DILOtmt9nww&feature=youtu.be
AMEN.