In the Midst of Suffering (Part 2)

Isaiah 43:1-7

1 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.  2 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.  3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, you Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Sheba sin you're stead.  4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.  5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.  6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'  Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

The Bible is clear: life is hard.  From the moment that sin entered our world, brokenness, suffering, and hardship came with it.  Suffering is a result of our sin, as we see in Genesis 3.  However, God loves us.  God made a way through the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus for us to be right with Him.  God rescued us and redeemed us through the blood of Jesus!  Did God take away the suffering and the hardships?  No.  However, God is sovereign.  And as we see throughout the Bible, God uses the suffering and the hardships in our lives for our good and for His glory!  Isaiah 43 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  I don't want to take it out of context, so let's think about what God says to Israel in this passage.  In verse 1, God reminds Israel that He created them and formed them.  He reminds Israel that He gave them their name.  God reminds Israel that they belong to Him.  Verse 1 alone shows us the intimacy God desires and has with His children.  Verses 2 - 7 show us even more, in regard to sufferings and to hardships.  Twice God tells His children, "Do not fear," and "Do not be afraid."  He warns Israel that obstacles will be encountered as He brings them home.  But the beauty of these verse is found in God's statements to Israel: "I will be with you," and "I am with you."  Yes, God made a promise to Israel that He would rescue them and redeem them because He loved them!  Throughout the hardships and the sufferings, He would bless them with His sovereign presence.

Today, through my repentance of sin and my faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I am a child of God.  I belong to Him.  Through Jesus, I can hear God say to me, as well, "YOU ARE MINE!"  I may not encounter the same sufferings and the same hardships that Israel faced when Isaiah spoke this prophecy.  However, I do and will face sufferings and hardships in this life that will feel to me like it must have felt to Israel.  I don't know about you, but there are times in my life when I feel like the waters are going to sweep over me.  There are times when I feel like I am going to drown in the river of suffering.  There are times when the flames get hot and even hotter.  There are times when I feel like the flame of hardship is going to burn me up and devour me.  In these moments, I can trust what I feel, or I can trust what and Who I know.  I know what God says to me and what God says about me in His Word.  I know that God loves me and has demonstrated His love for me in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, His only Son and my only Savior.  No, I don't know what my future holds, but I do know Who holds my future.  I don't know when my flesh will fall to the ground from which it came, but I do know in that moment when it does, I will be with my Lord forever and ever!  I know that one day I will be with my Lord in glory, where no more sufferings and hardships will ever exist!  Until that time, I will believe my God and believe His words to me and for me.  I pray today that you will walk in the knowledge of God and who you are in Jesus rather than walking in your feelings that shift and change like the winds of the earth.  I pray today that you hear God when He says to you, "YOU ARE MINE!  Do not fear.  Do not be afraid.  I will be with you.  I am with you."  Amen!