Fear Not, For He Is With You!

“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… Do not be afraid, for I am with you;” (Isa. 43: 1b-3, 5a)

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. It says to me that with my God, it’s personal when I’m in trouble. The “when’s” tell me that trouble is inevitable. So I should not be surprised when metaphorical rivers or fire threaten me. It is not that He has fallen asleep so these things got in while He wasn’t watching. The truth is Trouble is inevitable in this fallen world. This passage shows that even when trouble comes, I’ll not be swept away or overwhelmed or burned. He has put some sort of limits on the trouble. Don’t be afraid, in the trouble, because He is “WITH YOU.”

Not only is He with us, but He has called us by name. He called us. Why? Because He wants us. He called each of us by name which tells me He knows each of us individually. He wants to say “you are mine.”

The events of our lives can be troublesome, but not destructive in our lives. Because He is with us.  Because He knows each of us personally.  Because we are His. For all those reasons, fear not.