THE WATERS, THE RIVERS, AND THE FIRES OF LIFE

^“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God,” (Isaiah 43:2-3a NASB)

The Lord woke me up at 3:00 a.m. Wednesday night to write this meditation for you, in advance, scheduled for Friday’s publication. To be honest, I thought I was getting up because of heartburn from eating to many brownies and whip cream for my nighttime snack. However, after taking a little does of Mylanta, the Divine Lord put the scriptures above on my heart. So, here I am writing at 3:15 a.m. to help you, when you find themselves going through the waters, the rivers, and the fires of life.

I am convinced that the Lord wants you to specifically know, regardless if you are experiencing something unexpected, or encountering a situation that suddenly surprised you and left you questioning just how you would make it through, you should be positive. You are just going through a phase in life, just passing through, and when you come through, you will be in a better place. You will understand, like Job had to realize, it’s only a test. You will realize, like God’s people in the verses above, a people who were going to travel on a journey through their history, that the Lord is the One who is with you. Your specific waters, your surging rivers, and the seemingly undeterred fires of life are no match for you. Why? Because the Lord will see you through. Trust Him! Be patient and hear the voice of the Lord reveal to you His unmatchable credentials. He has enough to get you through the particular place or space you find yourself. What credential stands out? Look at the start of verse three above, “For I am the Lord.”

So, you won’t perceive this as a pep talk, let me be transparent and testify. Personally, I have been through the waters of life, but the Lord saw me through. He will do the same for you. In my lifetime, I have had turbulent waters to travel through, but the Lord saw me through. Let me testify about my walk through the Lord a little more. I have walked through the fires of life on more than one occasion; economic fires, emotional fires, sociological and psychological fires, as well as fires where the flames of uncertainty tried to scorch me and burn up my hope. But guess what happened. The Lord protected me and I ended up not only safe but sustained, strengthened, and surpassing the level of just surviving. I need to tell you, the Supreme One, God, He will do the same for you. He will see you through. Just keep walking by faith. Keep the closing verse in mind. I hope I have encouraged you this morning. I hope you know that “better” is coming. Better being where you are not in the waters, not in the rivers, and not in the fires you are currently going through. My child, “Be blessed!”

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.” (Hebrews 111-3 The Message Bible)

Committed to the climb,

Mark L. King