“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Isaiah 43:1-2
I know in these verses the Lord is speaking to the children of Israel, but it is a promise for us as well. As children of God, we know that we will face trials and times of testing, but the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us.
In the first years of our marriage, God blessed us with a boy and a girl who we loved very much and thought that our family was complete. I was fortunate to be able to stay home with them until they were both in school and then returned to work. My husband had a job but at certain times in the year, he would be laid off for a few weeks.
One year, he decided to visit his sister in BC while he was off work. He surprised me one night with a phone call, saying he had an opportunity for a job out there, and asked me if I would be willing to move. It was such a shock to me as I loved my job and knew that a promotion was in store. Also, after eight years, I had just found out that I was pregnant, a complete surprise. You can imagine how this threw my entire world into turmoil.
I will never forget kneeling in our living room early in the morning, weeping, and asking the Lord for direction and guidance. I was happy for my husband but could not see how we could make this change. That is when this scripture in Isaiah became real to me, and as I opened my heart to the Lord, He showed me what I needed to do. Peace flooded my heart, and I began to make the necessary arrangements to move.
It was not an easy year. My husband’s job did not prove to be permanent. I tried to find work but was not successful. Our unemployment insurance ran out, and we went through some struggles. Through it all, God met our needs. Fortunately, we had only rented our home in Ontario, so when the year was up, we decided to move back. I called my former boss and was assured that there was a position waiting for me.
The highlight of that time was the baby boy that God blessed us with. God has kept His hand on him and today he is preaching the gospel and being used by the Lord in reaching the lost. Despite the storms, I would not trade that year for anything, even though our faith was tested.
Storms may come, the waters may rise, but God is always there to see us through. He will never leave us nor forsake us when we put our trust in Him. If you are going through something today that is hard to understand, just let this verse be a comfort and strength to you.
Prayer: Jesus, that you for being there in the good times and the tough times, watching over us and protecting us.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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