Deep Waters

"But now, this is what the Lord says--He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel; "Fear not, 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.  For I am the Lord, your God, the holy One of Israel, your Savior." Isaiah 43:1-3

Many, many years ago when I was about 7 and my sister was about 4, our family was vacationing in Florida.  while I could easily walk around in the shallow end of the swimming pool, my sister wasn't tall enough to reach the bottom without having the water over her head, so she had to stay on the steps of the pool.  One day as were playing in the pool with Mom and Dad sitting nearby on the pool deck watching us, my sister, who couldn't swim, suddenly stepped off of the step and went under the water, her blue eyes peering up through the water wide with surprise.  Immediately our Daddy was there.  He reached down and scooped her up out of the water to safety.

Our heavenly Father is a good father.  When, not if, we are in deep water, He is there, in the water with us.  We need not fear with troubles and trials that come into our lives because He is with us.  The GNB paraphrases verse 2 like this; "When you pass through deep waters I will be with you; your troubles will not overwhelm you." Our troubles will not overwhelm us and the hard trials that come will not hurt us.  It won't be easy, deep water and going through fire are never easy, but you won't go through it alone.  The Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior, will be there every second.

Write this verse on the tablet of your heart today so that when the trials and troubles come you won't fear but will trust your heavenly Father to be with you through it all, strengthening you, teaching you, and when necessary scooping you up so your head stays above the water.