Who doesn’t love Isaiah?!?
We have groups of women that come together to study and worship in my church and we call them Circles. I became fairly active in my Circle immediately on joining the church and eventually came to be a regular teacher in our meetings. Not long after, I received an email from another Circle of women at our church asking if I could guest teach one of their meetings. I will share that the first invitation was not received with excitement from me. I was still new in my teaching and felt like a bit of an imposter at times. Who was I to teach when so many others knew the Bible much better than I? But on that day, like everyday since, I accepted the nudge that God was giving me and I have not looked back since.
This past session, we studied the widow that gave her last two coins. We shared stories of not having much but finding ways to tithe in spite of not being sure when or where the next paycheck would come. The part that resonated with me most, was that in spite of how little she had, or how much she had lost, she still came to Temple, she still remained faithful and THANKFUL. Wow! I know there have been plenty of times in my life where I am not sure my first thought would have been how I can give back to God or how could I show my thanks.
Throughout our discussion, I shared this verse from Isaiah that put it all into context for me. “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 43:2, NIV). I know the widow understood this verse intimately. It doesn’t say if you pass through the water or if you pass through the rivers, it says when. It doesn’t say if you walk through the fire, it says when. We are not promised a life without trials or times when it feels the entire world is consuming us, but God has us. I’ll say it again, God has us! He promises that the waters will not sweep over us, we will not burn. How can we be anything but THANKFUL for that Blessing? That widow knew. She knew that the rivers may have felt consuming, but God still held her hand and would not let her drown.
Today, I pray that if you are feeling swept away by that river or consumed by the fire, that you not shift your eyes away from God. If you know of someone struggling, that you share these words and remind them they are not standing alone, God has them.
