He is With You Through It All

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” —Isaiah 43:2

Notice that God doesn’t say if you go through deep waters or if you walk through the fire. He says when.

Difficulty is an unavoidable part of life. None of us can predict what problems we’ll face this week, this month, or this year. But we can be certain of one thing: Whatever we walk through, God will walk through it with us.

Isaiah 43:2 reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were thrown into a blazing furnace because they refused to compromise their faith. But when the king looked into the fire, he didn’t see three men—he saw four. God was with them in the flames.

When they came out, the ropes that had bound them were gone, but they were unharmed. The fire meant to destroy them only burned away what had been holding them captive.

Sometimes God keeps us from the fire. Other times, he walks with us through it. But either way, we are never alone.

When I Am Worried, God Is My Confidence

When God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses immediately began making excuses.

“I’m not capable, I’m not important enough, I don’t know what to say, What if they don’t listen to me?”

God didn’t respond by telling Moses to believe in himself. Instead, he gave him a much stronger reason for confidence: “I will be with you.”

Moses’ confidence wasn’t supposed to come from his own ability. It was supposed to come from God’s presence. The same is true for us.

God already knows about our weaknesses, insecurities, and shortcomings—and he still chooses to use us. After all, it has never been about what we can accomplish on our own. It has always been about what God can accomplish through us.

That truth should take a tremendous weight off your shoulders. You don’t have to be strong enough, talented enough, or confident enough. God is with you, and he is able.

“I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety.” —Psalm 16:8–9

You may not know what this week will bring—but you know who will walk beside you. You are not walking through this alone.