Wednesday, March 25 2009
ISAIAH 43
Key Verse: V2 “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 burnt; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
1. God is with you through the waters
V2 “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;…”
God was with Noah, his family and the animals as they drifted in the ark in the waters in Genesis 7. All the rest of the people and the animals outside the ark were drowned and destroyed in the waters. The ark was a symbol of God’s presence and protection over Noah, his family and the animals with them. The prophet Isaiah reminded the nation of Israel that as God was with Noah, his family and the animals through the waters, God shall also be with them during the hard times.
2. God is with you through the rivers
V2 “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:…”
God was with Joshua and the nation of Israel as they crossed the river Jordan in Joshua 3. The river was at high tide and yet when they stepped onto the river, it went up like a heap, and Joshua and the nation of Israel crossed it dry! The prophet Isaiah again reminded the nation of Israel that their ancestors ever crossed the rivers dry and it did not overflow and drown them. This is another reminder that God is with you during the hard times. Don’t give up, trust God! God is with you!
3. God is with you through the fire
V2 “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.”
God was with the three Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who refused to worship the golden image that the King of Babylonian had set up in Daniel 3. As a result, the King commanded his men that these three Hebrew men be thrown into the furnace of fire and be burnt to death. While in the fire, the Babylonians saw that there was a fourth man walking beside the three Hebrew men, and all of them came out alive and without any burnt mark! The fourth man was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ!
There was this dream that a man had. During the good times, he saw two set of footprints on the sand, his and God. However, during the hard times, he saw only one set of footprint. The man was puzzled and asked God, “God, where were you during the hard times as I saw only one set of footprint?” And God replied, “The one set of footprint was mine and I was carrying you through the hard times!”
Prayer of the Week
God, please help me to know that I am not alone as you are with me all the time.
