But now this is what the Lord says-He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you Israel: “Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV
Going through hard times, unfortunately, is just a part of life. I’ve often heard it said that if you have not just come through a trial or are in the middle of a trial, then you are about to be going through a trial. There are things in life that we can’t go over or around, we must go through. Now we know that these things make us stronger. In fact in James 1:2-4 we are even told to be joyful when we experience trials and temptations. We are told that it produces perseverance and that as we persevere, we gain maturity and become complete. Basically, we are told that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
Now the difference in how people handle trials is their reaction. Some people come totally unhinged when they face a difficult situation. Some people seem to be unfazed. They just roll with it and remain calm. A couple years ago, you saw t-shirts and cups with the phrase “keep calm”. Often it would be followed by something else like “keep calm and carry on”. Some might say keep calm and drink coffee or something like that.
Our scripture passage tells us that even when we go through trials, God will bring us through safely. There were examples of this in the Bible when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. God parted it and did not let the waters sweep over them, however when Pharaoh’s army started through they were drowned. And of course there was the time that the Israelites crossed the Jordan River carrying the ark of the covenant and God stopped the water from flowing. One of my favorite bible stories is Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They walked around in the fiery furnace and came out without even the smell of soot on their clothes. They had refused to worship a false god and the king threw them in the furnace. We were even told that when they looked into the furnace they saw a fourth man walking around in the flames. Our scripture passage today tells us that when we walk through these things God is with us. In Deuteronomy 31:6 we are told to Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Now let me say here, that I have handled bad situations in both ways. There was a time in my life when I wasn’t as close to God as I needed to be and I handled bad situations by coming unhinged. I threw a fit, followed by a pity party. Whether you want to admit it or not, I’m sure you have been there. But then I learned to give things over to God. I learned to really hand them over. I quit playing tug of war with Him. I finally had sense enough to realize that my problems were too big for me. What a relief that was!
Now I just trust in God. I know that if I’m not facing hard times that there is a difficulty coming my way, but I know that God’s got it. I don’t have to fret or worry. I just have to trust in Him. I just have to keep on keeping on, knowing that He’s big enough to handle whatever comes along. When we do this, we can walk through the fire unsinged. We can walk through the waters.
Whether we become unhinged or remain unsinged when trouble comes our way is our decision. Having been both, I prefer to be unsinged. I prefer to know that all is well and God’s got this.
Two years ago, many in our area were devastated by flooding. Some had their homes flood in March of 2016 only to have them flood again in August, 2016. Not something that anyone would want to go through. But as I watched my Christian friends go through this, I saw a strong resolve. I saw that they knew that it was all going to be ok.
You can have this peace and calm. You can be assured that nothing will hurt you. Just get into a close relationship with Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior. Trust in Him to handle whatever life throws your way. When you do this, you can be at peace even though the world around you is falling apart. You can be joyful in the midst of trials. Being unsinged is way better than coming unhinged. I know I have tried it both ways.
Have a great day!