Sorted!
Context and Charge:
Right from the start, it is very important to set out the first word in the verse above: WHEN, not IF. Every other thing that follows is certain to be true at some point in our lives. Who are the people God is speaking to here? The verse before this one lays it out: those created and formed by God, and who had been redeemed and called by the name of the Lord. I must check and audit my life very carefully, to confirm that I am one of the people that God speaks about here.
Shouting "I receive" only is not going to give you that which total submission to God will guarantee you. I need God for the journey that is ahead. A lot of water, as well as rivers and fire will happen on my life's journey. Before they happen, God speaks to reassure me that He has it all under control. If God is able to tell me with clear certainty the things that are coming my way, how they will happen, and gives me an assurance that I will overcome, what else is there to fear?
Conviction and Conclusion:
God uses: "through" three times in the verse above to show that his intention for allowing them to come my way is not to defeat, distress, distract or destroy me. No matter how high the waves, or how strong the currents, or how fierce the fire, God says I will pass or walk through. It is through the experiences that my faith is strengthened. Talk is cheap; anyone can claim that s/he will hold on to God in tough times. God has to test, before He can commit the great plans into our hands.
The proof of my stand in God is made clear when times and seasons change, and when I cannot explain the process or the purpose behind the pain. His Presence is assured through the pain, process, problems or plan that God allows. When I have God, the path is clear, and I know that no matter what happens, the end is eternal life with God. If I don't have God, how can I survive the pain that is coming? Do I have Him? Is He enough for me? God's time of favour is here.
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