“When you go through the deep waters, I will be with you. When you go though the rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.” (Isiah 43:2a NLT)
There is a photo attempting to break the internet this week. It’s a helicopter’s view of a bridge over a body of water, with a whale and it’s cub swimming beneath the bridge. Of course, the photo isn’t real. Snopes declares it falsified and thatsnonsense.com cites the artist, Umut Recber along with source photos, but golly, it’s got folks stirred up.
Though the photo is fake, the image of the whale under the bridge has shouted a truth to me each time I see it in my feed. It reminds me how my God is always, always with me, even when I can’t see or feel Him. He’s very real, very present, and exceedingly powerful. He’s with me, (and with you) and we won’t drown.
“When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isiah 43:2b NLT)
The second half of the verse provides additional insight. First we notice how Isaiah has utilized the word ‘when’ three times. He didn’t write ‘if’ as though these hardships were unlikely or variable as the weather. No, he employed the word ‘when’ – an indicator that conditions will decline from time to time. Deep waters, rivers of difficulty and fires of opposition are to be expected in the life of a believer. There’s good news, though. The Lord employs these opportunities to further cultivate our character, to expand our understanding of His character and to burn off the chaff in our flesh – the sinful, Kingdom-hindering stuff that keeps us from full allegiance to God’s word and will. Though we won’t drown or burn up, we will look back, certain of His powerful presence in every line of our story.
Think of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, faithful Jews who refused to bend in worship to a mere human king. Instead they chose the fire: a blazing furnace heated seven times hotter than normal. Yet they weren’t consumed. By the king’s account, there was another in the fire with them. We don’t know if Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could see the fourth person, this son of the gods, but we know King Nebuchadnezzar saw the fourth man and it was enough for him to call the men out of the flames and begin worshiping the One True God.
Even if we can’t see Jesus in our flames of oppression, we can be confident of His power and presence amidst our most tempering moments. What’s more, the visual accounts of others will reveal His attendance to our situation. The character we come out of the oven with will cause us to sing His praises all over again.
Lord, we would rather avoid deep waters and extra hot furnaces altogether, but we realize You use difficult, even impossible situations for Kingdom advancement: in us and the world around us. Help us call to you in rising floodwaters and high flames alike. Grow our confidence in Your promise to never leave us or forsake us. May other people see You standing in the center of our story today. Amen.
*this song has been especially encouraging to me in my own fires of oppression.