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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
The fairy tales of old all have a familiar ring to them. They all start ‘once upon a time’. It doesn’t matter when they started or took place or where. They started. That’s all that needs to be known. The other thing that rings true is how they end. ‘They all lived happily ever after.’ The tyrant or big, bad wolf, or wicked witch all vanished. The flowers grew, the birds sang and life was good. Forever.
As children, perhaps one of the reasons we loved fairy tales so much was that they give us a glimpse of life that we know, as adults, will never really happen. Wolves win sometimes. Wickedness doesn’t just go away. Giants still roam the land and the walls of our unseen prisons seem inescapable. Fairy tales gave us hope that someday things will work out. Our dreams can be attained. Miracles will happen.
Isaiah 43:2 gives us a more realistic view of how life happens and what we can expect. There will be waters to pass through. The original languages describe this water as ‘deep water’ such as an ocean. There will be rivers to cross. Rushing, rock smashing rivers that threaten to tear our boats apart. There will be fire. Consuming fires that have no regard for the sanctity of life or the treasures we possess. Fire destroys everything.
But along with the horror Isaiah describes comes hope. When the Israelites were trapped at the edge of the Red Sea. And Pharaoh’s army was closing in. And there was no way out, no hope, nothing left to do but surrender and hope for the best. God made a way through the deep waters. He took a hopeless situation and brought His people through it.
When Israel needed to cross the mighty river Jordan to enter into the land promised them long ago. God parted those waters. The rushing torrents were silenced. He delivered His people safely through to dry ground.
When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to give into an evil world system. Innocent as they were and following God’s law to the letter, their fate was sealed by an evil king bent on proving his power. Yet when the King looked into the furnace he saw the impossible. The men were walking around in the midst of the flames. When they were released, they didn’t even smell of smoke!
Three lessons. Three examples of life’s attacks. The open attack of an enemy. The barriers to our dreams. The attacks when we are innocent. They each come into our lives. We were never promised that we would not see adversity and calamity in our life time. We were promised that in the midst of the most violent circumstances our Heavenly Father will walk us through. He loves us. Even in the direst of circumstances He will see us through.
PRAYER: Father God. I thank you for the promise you made that my life is completely and totally in your hands. Today I have many worries and concerns. It seems like my enemies are surrounding me. Sometimes I think I’m my own worst enemy! Help me to trust you in the midst of the trials of life. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
What are the marks of Spiritual power? For some it may be doing some great miracle or seeing the signs of the Holy Spirit being manifest. We admire those people who can stand up strong and oppose the false values and the lies of the enemy. We dream of being able to dump the whole dump truck of the Gospel on people, denouncing their sin, warning them of their eternal damnation and showing them, in no uncertain terms, that they are the devil’s tool!
Others may say that spiritual power is seen in ‘spiritual disciplines’ of prayer, Bible Study and living a holy, set-apart lifestyle. These are the prayer warriors and the scholars of our day. They spend hours and hours in study and prayer and draw insights from God’s Word that we marvel at.
Is one of these better than the other? Shall we strive for one above the other? In some ways they seem opposites. One (power) is openly visible and extrovert-ish. But power, taken to extremes, tears apart, destroys and loses its regard for human feelings and emotion.
The other (self-discipline) can be taken to the extreme and become withdrawn and loses touch with society. In its extreme it can lead to legalism and a judgmental spirit.
But Paul adds the perfect ingredient to bring power and discipline together: Love.
It is love that helps us to realize that God’s word is true and that His Son Jesus is the only way to peace and forgiveness while here on earth and eternal life with Him after we die.
It’s love that reminds us that we are His most special creation. We are made in His image for His glory so that we can reach out to those around us that are in pain and despair.
It’s the love of the Father that caused Him to send His Son, Jesus, to the Cross to take the penalty for my sin, to offer me forgiveness, and to give me the power of the Holy Spirit for daily living.
It’s love that helps me to be patient and gentle with those who continue to follow their own destructive ways. It keeps me from attacking them through constant reminders of their sin and drives me to my knees to pray that God will lead them to repentance.
Love. The perfect cement that binds the truth of God’s word and the power of His Spirit to show the world that Jesus is the answer to the pain that they bear.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I thank you today for the many blessings you have given me. I thank you that through your Holy Spirit I can be brave in my speaking out for you. I thank you for your Word that gives me the wisdom to see the lies of the enemy and the truth of Your word. I ask that you would help me to add the cement of love to my life so that I can reach out to my friends and neighbors and show them the unspeakable blessing of knowing Jesus. Amen.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
There is nothing more majestic than an eagle soaring high above the clouds, circling, gliding and looking for its next meal. There isn’t much more exciting than to watch it quietly and swiftly dive from the sky and scoop up its dinner. Eagles give us a picture of strength, wisdom and majesty.
The Bible tells us that as we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ we will grow stronger. Our strength will be renewed. The Eagle renews its strength every few years by growing new feathers. These new feathers give even an old eagle the strength it needs to soar above the clouds. He is like a young eagle ready for the challenges of his day.
Our strength, our new feathers so to speak, comes from trusting God. Trust isn’t something you put on like a shirt. It’s not something you decide to pray for and get the next day. Trust doesn’t come through a certain prayer, a certain denomination, or a certain religious tradition.
Trust doesn’t come from activity, even good activity such as going to church, reading the Bible or going to Bible Study. These activities help you learn about God and grow closer to him in relationship. But it doesn’t give you ‘trust.’ Trusting in the Lord only comes as we go through adversity and trials and see that He is faithful in renewing us on a daily basis.
Don’t put your faith and hope in man-made solutions or quick fixes. On a daily basis ask God to renew your strength and help you to grow to trust Him in everything you do.
PRAYER: Holy God and Heavenly Father. I’m tired. Rather that flying with the eagles I feel like I’m grounded. Too weak to soar. To weak to even fly. Help me to trust you more. I ask that you would empower me through your Holy Spirit to learn to trust you more and to be renewed to face the challenges of each new day with strength I get from you. Amen.
He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15
King Jehoshaphat was sitting in his palace one day when ominous news came to him. A huge army was on its way to Jerusalem to conquer the mighty city. Although Jehoshaphat made some mistakes as King of Israel, he trusted God and tried to lead the country in a Godly fashion.
When news of the approaching army came to him, Jehoshaphat took immediate steps of action to defend the country. He called on all of his advisors, priests and people to meet together for prayer. The news spread like wildfire and soon it seemed the entire country was praying for deliverance.
A prophet came before the King and the entire assembly and gave the word of the Lord. He told the people not to be afraid of this vast army because the Lord God was in complete control. This was not Israel’s battle to fight, it was God’s.
The Israelite army followed God’s command. They bravely went out onto a hillside ready for battle but watching to see how God was going to deliver them. The people of God watched as the enemy was soundly defeated and Jerusalem was saved.
Like Jehoshaphat there are many times in our lives when people will come to us warning us of the future. This is especially true today as we see scripture being fulfilled before our eyes. The increase of natural disasters, the ungodly actions of government leaders, the increased risk of terrorists and the demise of social values are just a few things that can really get us down.
Take a lesson from Jehoshaphat. When things in your life look ominous. When fear attacks and you are unsure of your ability to go on, remember to turn your eyes upon Jesus. Go to Him in prayer and offer up your feelings of worry, fear and doubt. Surround yourself with Christ-followers that will pray with you, encourage you and give you words of Godly wisdom to comfort, guide and support.
The people of Israel were delivered from the enemy once they realized that the battle wasn’t really theirs at all. God reminded them that ‘this is my battle to fight. You are to be ready for battle, but your job is to watch me conquer the enemies in your life.’
The army still had to get ready for battle. They still had to take action. But the real war was fought in the heavens. The same is true in our lives. Once we have prayed and sought Godly wisdom; once we have prepared a battle plan based on Godly wisdom and prayer, we need to move forward with confidence knowing that the battles in our lives are ultimately fought by God if we are living for Him.
PRAYER: Holy God, creator and sustainer of the universe. I acknowledge to You that You are the supreme ruler and guiding force of the seen and unseen world. I thank you that you know about the things in my life that scare me and worry me. You hear the words of the nay-Sayers and doomsday preachers. Remind me that the battle ahead is your battle and that you have promised to fight for me. Give me peace as I go through the activities of my day, knowing that you are at my side always. Amen.
Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria, and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah. Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” Isaiah 7:9 (NLT)
“Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” It’s a short little phrase stuck in the middle of an important part of Israel’s history. King Ahaz had to make a decision. Would he really put his faith in God and stand firm against the enemies that wanted to destroy Israel or would he put his trust in a neighboring countries power?
In the midst of his emotional and mental struggle God said “Go ahead. Ask me to show you a sign of what you should do and what will happen.” It was a crisis of faith for the King. Where was his true allegiance? Ahaz chose not to ask for the sign. In the end he trusted the neighboring power rather than the God of heaven and his kingdom was ripped from his hands.
Each of us must choose where our true allegiance is. It’s a daily decision, even a moment by moment decision. The enemy wants us to doubt who is really in control. It happened in the Garden of Eden, “Did God REALLY say you’d die?” It happened in during Jesus time on earth when He visited His hometown and the Bible tells us “He did no miracles there because of their unbelief”.
As Christ-followers we must always remember that God’s way is the best way. We must measure each of our actions according to what God wants and allow Him to determine the outcome by His power. God CAN do anything we ask but He requires that we first trust Him to do what is best for us, even if His best seems detrimental at the time.
There will be bumps along the road. There are going to be forks in the journey with confusing sign posts directing you along the way. As you grow closer to Christ, through obedience and knowledge of His word, He will show you the path to take. Don’t be afraid to ask Him. Don’t impatiently take action on your own.
Never forget that the Creator God of the universe loves you and wants you to experience all He has for you. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. But you need to make that first step. Each of us needs to make a conscious decision to trust Him above all else and actively believe that He can and will see you through life’s obstacles. That’s what His love is all about.
PRAYER: Father God, I acknowledge that you are the creator and sustainer of the universe. I believe that you have all things in control. But I confess to you that there are many times during my day when I am faced with a choice to follow my own wisdom or ask you for direction. This almost always takes me down the wrong path. Forgive me for living in fear. Forgive me for following my heart and not what I know to be true. Help me to stand firm and step out in faith, truly believing that You can and will accomplish great things if I let You have control of my life. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 