Passing Through

Scripture:

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you".

Observation:

God never promises that living the Christian life will be simple and nothing will ever go wrong. Many talk about a faith in God that will never allow anything bad to happen to you. Many talk about prosperity to the point that it seems, "Come to Jesus and you will be a millionaire and never have another problem". Sounds great, Sign me up! In this verse we read about "Passing Through". Passing through means that these things will happen to us, but that He will be with us and bring us out of them. They are not permanent positions for the child of God. Passing through problems is part of growth and maturity in God. It is in these times that we grow the most and learn to depend on Him more if we will stay the course and trust Him fully. The fact is, "He will be with you!" He will bring you out! He said "WHEN" you go through, not "IF". You will go through things, hold onto Him and He will bring you "THROUGH" every single time.

Application:

As humans, we love to run from our problems instead of confronting them, growing from them and becoming better people as a result. As Rick Warren says, "God is more concerned with your character, than your comfort". Hard times mature us in the Lord, don't rebuke them and try to get out of them, walk through them and watch the Lord bring you out. Don't lose faith in the midst of the trial. He will help you to "Pass Through" every trial you come against. Don't look for the easy way out because that is not usually how God works. He likes us to mature and learn to trust Him more and more so He allows things in our lives that will cause us to lean on Him. Don't run, lean closer in these times.

Prayer:

Lord, teach me to walk through the water and the fire with the right attitude. Teach me to remain calm when it feels like everything is crumbling around me. teach me to walk with You through whatever adversity comes my way. You have promised that You will be with us "THROUGH" every trial, bad time, hard time, and pressure of life. I put my confidence in You this morning. I lean on You Lord. You are my rock and my salvation! I love you with all my heart. Thank you for you amazing word that help us grow and learn. Thank You for loving us so much.

Jeff