Isaiah 43:1But 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.2 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.3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.5 Fear not: for I am with thee.
Fire and water. This scripture is plan, and there is a great deal to hold onto. Life is not easy. Regardless of your spiritual condition, life in this world is seldom on an even keel. Things happen to us all. Our times of tribulation—our floods and fires—happen. Even the young have their own problems. The devil will make sure we have them.
Our help comes from the Lord. If you ask others to help you in your fire or flood they may not be able to do much because of their own struggles. There is One who can help. He says fear not. They that fear the Lord don’t have to fear other things. No matter how deep the water or hot the fire, there is no need to fear.
These things will come. Verse 2 begins with when not if. It’s not a question of if they will come but when. Fire and water can be frightful. They both are beneficial if harnessed. They don’t hurt us then. Unleashed they are deadly. The power of water is greater than our ability to swim in it. We must have fire in the winter to stay warm, but uncontrolled it is a destroyer. We can’t get around the fires and floods of our lives, but we can pass through them. God himself says they are passable. Turn everything over to the Lord. Trust him. The world, the devil, and sin are too much for us. They are not too much for God. He walks on water!
Peter would have sunk had not the Lord responded to his cry for help and saved him from the stormy waters. The three Hebrew children were stuck in Babylon. We’re stuck in a Babylon of life. Our faith is challenged. Those young men said if God delivers them, fine; if not, fine. They would not give in to the demands to bow to the idols. They trusted the Lord. The furnace was heated seven times hotter than normal even killing those who threw them inside it. The king later looked in and saw three men walking around unscathed. You can too. There was a fourth man in there like unto the son of God. He didn’t come out. He’s still there for us.
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. When the waters are choppy and wrecking your life, how will you make it? Take hold of the Lord’s hand and follow his voice through them. You will not drown if you trust him. No one cares for us as much as he does.
We’re stuck with this life. Either it will destroy us or we’ll get through it. How? With the Lord’s help comes the ability to get through it. We need Jesus. He is still God, the Holy One. Verse 3 says For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Why not trust him? He died on the cross to be your Savior. If you are still lost, it is not his fault. You have a Savior! He is our ransom. He was tempted in all points as we are so that as we face our floods and fires we can pass through. Fire is bad. Flood is bad. God is good!
The only way to make it to the other side is to have someone with us. He says fear not. He is with us. Turn it all over to him, and he’ll take the fear of everything else. We’ll make it if we trust in him who knows the end from the beginning. Do you know him?
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 