When, not if …

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Isaiah 43:2 NKJV

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:30-31 NKJV

You’ll never find God or His Word sugar-coating reality; telling us plainly … “When the waters rise and when the flames come …” When, not if. And if you’ve been alive longer than 20 minutes, you know the truth of that “promise.” Adversity. Flood waters. Flames. Trials are woven into the fabric of real life. No one is exempt. Yet, He doesn’t leave us there …

Layered in that raw reality is also the promise that, when the trials come, He will be with us. Though He is the omnipresent God, there is a unique coming-alongside that we experience when trials attempt to overwhelm us, when they graze our lives. As Nazi concentration camp survivor, Corrie Ten Boom put it, “He doesn’t give us the train ticket until we board the train.”

When trials touch our lives, He is uniquely there in a way that sunny days and overflowing bank accounts do not require.

Even when the trial is of our own making. Take a closer look at Peter in the above verse. He took his eyes off of Jesus and instead, zeroed in on the literal wind and waves, and began to sink like a rock. The Word says that, “Immediately, Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.” No hesitation. No withholding. Immediately. Yes, a lecture followed, but His Presence was not withheld, when Peter so desperately needed it.

I can testify from my own life, that while He has allowed (and I have sometimes caused) great challenges in my life, He has also never failed to lavish me with His Presence in them. A Presence I uniquely felt during the deepest, darkest trials. And He will do the same for you dear one, when you walk through your day of trial … He is with you.

When trials touch our lives, He is uniquely there in a way that sunny days and overflowing bank accounts do not require.

Becky White

Father, we are so thankful for Your presence when life hits us square between the eyes. When life just plain hurts, You are with us. Please enable us to rest in that simple truth. We are not alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Written by Becky White for the Lord Jesus

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