When, Not If…
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)
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I had a dream last night about going through the fire. This verse in Isaiah was going through my spirit, but the part that struck me was “When” you walk through the fire or pass through the floods… not “If.” Sometimes we find ourselves in dire circumstances and it is not our choice; we did nothing to get there…like Joseph, like Daniel, or like the 3 Hebrew Children in the fiery furnace. We wish we could get out of it, but there is nothing we can do about it. We just have to keep moving forward and trusting God for the outcome. It’s all or nothing, do or die.
Our God Delivers Again!
Many of God’s servants in the Bible found themselves in such a place, but time and again God delivered them, again and again. Like the song says…”My God delivers again, Oh My God delivers again, when it seems like all is lost He reaches down His hand. That’s when all the forces of evil have to flee at His command. Just when things look hopeless, my God delivers again!”
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“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). We don’t want to hear this verse, but it’s in the Bible. “Many…not few afflictions!”
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Did you also hear that last part? “But the Lord delivers him out of them all,” not “some!” Hello? That’s the “key” part of this verse. Do you see that? That is your key to getting through your fire, just like God’s servants in the Bible – they trusted that their God was able to deliver them. He always delivers!. God specializes in “Happy Endings!”
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What I want you to remember is this verse is in the Bible so it must be true! God will deliver you, no matter what you’re going through, no matter how dire your circumstances, no matter how grim it looks. God will deliver you! God is able to deliver and He will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:7). Only the King can pardon someone, and He is willing to give you a pardon, to let you walk free from your past, and start a whole new life. You don’t have to be locked up any more. He is giving you a get-out-of-jail-free card.
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Just Passing Through…
The other part of this verse is… you are “passing through” the fire and the floods! We are not stopping, staying, drowning, or getting burned up. Like the Children of Israel passing through the Red Sea, or the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, we may walk “through” the valley of the shadow of death (it’s only a shadow), but we don’t have to be afraid of evil befalling us (Psalm 23). Why? Because He is with us? Who is He? Jesus, God in person! He is invincible and nothing can stand against Him. Every single time in the Bible that God’s people trusted Him, He delivered them every single time. The only time they were overcome is when they tried to do it their own way, were in sin and didn’t follow His instructions. If we do what He said, we will get the outcome He promised. Just follow Him, just follow His instructions. He will do His part but we have to do our part.
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Trust God today. Like the old hymn says, “Only trust Him, Only trust Him, Only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.” Only trust Him. He will deliver you, no matter how dire your circumstances, no matter how grim your past. He will deliver, and abundantly pardon. He is your Savior, your Superman, your Superhero! Call on Him today.
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Never Fear, God is Here… Keep Walking!