Kept!

Kept!

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 43:2 KJV

The Inspiration:

'When' gives an indication of an event that is determined to happen, not a possibility. It is not open to negotiation or compromise, unless you take yourself out of the scope of its operation and applicability to you. Two things are then clear here: life will happen to all of us at some point in time in our lives: loss, pain and death are parts of this phase called life. We can pray against untimely death, which is in line with God's will, but God's will also is that it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that comes judgement. The other thing is to be sure of the right person to go with you as you go through this phase called life. It is a waste of time praying that death should not come; the best of us have days appointed for us, and the best use of life is to live it for the One who gives life in the first place. These two parts are critical to having a successful and impactful life: the knowledge and acceptance of God's purpose behind your pain, and the knowledge and experience of God's presence, no matter what comes your way. 

The Contention:

The waters will come; they will threaten to upend your boat. In fact, at some times, the water may even get into your boat, and some things would have to be thrown overboard. The rivers will flow, and at some other times, they will so overflow that there could be irreparable loss. Sometimes, the pain will come in waves; as one incident seems to be passing on, another one is knocking. I wonder what Joseph, the son of a wealthy Jacob, was feeling when he was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He stood against sexual immorality, and rather than be 'rewarded', he was thrown into prison. The man whose dream he interpreted and was restored to his former position, forgot about Joseph. However, one thing was constantly repeated in the story of Joseph: "And the Lord was with Joseph". No matter where Joseph found himself or the waves that swept over him, he made sure he never let go of God. Fire too will burn, and as we know, there is nothing fire touches and leaves the same way. Fire will change it; it either consumes totally or purifies absolutely. 

The Conclusion:

In all of the 'distressing' situations presented above, note the counterbalance: "I will be with you". Don't dare face the world without the help of the One who has conquered the world. Don't dare face the elements without the presence of the One who formed them and placed limits over their scope and operations. He does not promise that the elements will not work as they should, but He makes it clear that He is all-powerful, and He determines just how far they go. I can rest assured in the confidence that no matter what comes, or how fierce the battles rage, the presence of God guarantees that I will be alright. Yes, it may have consequences that the world will view as 'bad', but in the hands of the Creator and Ruler of all things, everything works for the good of them that love God and are called according to His purpose. Whether it ends like the 3 Hebrew boys and Daniel, or like Stephen and James, at the end, it matters that God is glorified, and He finds me a vessel through which His glory is made manifest. What better use of a life can there be? God's time of favour is here.