Through the Deep

When you go through the 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

Often when we talk about our trusting in the Lord, we present our faith as based on His blessing us and helping us through difficult times. This line of thought leaves us with a distorted view of God and salvation. God is holy, and cannot tolerate sin. If we want to be with God, we have to deal with our sin problem. Jesus Christ offered His life as payment for our sins. This is the basis of our salvation.

Now, for the rest of the story. Along with salvation, the Lord has offered us some "fringe benefits". These benefits are based on God's goodness - not our worthiness. Sometimes, these benefits are misrepresented. I often hear well-meaning people (and I have been guilty of this as well) talk about how God has changed their life and given them peace, joy, deliverance, what ever... While peace, joy, deliverance, and all those other blessings are wonderful gifts from God, they are just fringe benefits of our relationship with God.

In other words, if I come to God just for what He's going to do for me, I will find myself feeling let down, disillusioned, maybe even unloved. I think this may be much of what has happened in modern Christianity - in focusing on the benefits, we have lost sight of the relationship, and the reason we truly need a Savior. People who came to Christ looking for a better life have run into the harsh realities of life. Life is hard. It's often not fair. The good guys don't always win. And being a Christian doesn't mean things will always go right for you. What it really means is that while things are going wrong, you're not alone.

Notice what Isaiah says, "WHEN you go through deep waters... (emphasis mine)." There is not the feel good message of, "Don't worry - God will get you out of the deep waters." The promise is that when we find ourselves in deep waters, God will be with us. He might deliver us - and sometimes He does and it's wonderful. But ALWAYS He will be with us.

Do you find yourself in deep waters today? If you know the Lord, then you can rest in the knowledge that you are not alone.

Be encouraged! ...Just a thought...