“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” (Isaiah 43:2).
"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" (Isaiah 43:2).
In our Scripture today, Isaiah didn't say if problems come--his word was when! But with that reminder of life's reality came God's promise that He will be with us when storms come. The human life of our Savior ended after the extreme storm of emotional and physical pain with Jesus' last cry: "Why have you forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46). Isn't it amazing that even Christ was overcome by the waves and fires of life as He bore our sins and felt abandoned by God!
My fifty years have included seasons when my work so zapped my joy that I experienced the desert days that Kay and I have sung about in a duet: "My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." But the same verse that contains these desperate words, Psalm 63:1, begins with another cry: "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you." When desert storms obscure our way, and during these Advent season days, we are to earnestly seek our Savior.
Though I wish it wasn't so, I've learned that storms are a part of life. But my head knowledge of God's promise to be with me has grown into sustaining faith as I felt His comforting presence in the midst of life's storms. So in this moment, in the midst of your circumstances, cry out to God and earnestly seek Him. His reassuring promise is "I will be with you." Dona Nobis Pacem!
Roger and Kay Thiele, members of First Baptist Nashville since 2005, focus on singing, missions, and college Sunday School; Kay also serves on the finance committee. The proud parents of two sons who live in Texas, Roger and Kay’s family connections at First Baptist include Roger’s sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Jason Rogers, and nieces and nephew, Hannah, Caroline, and Ben Rogers. James Tealy and his wife, Shera, are also part of the family. Roger works for Brookdale Senior Living, and Kay is employed as a librarian at Stratford High School.
The audio version of today's devotional was recorded by Harry Chapman.
