After the Storm

For many of us, with Spring and Summer upon us, we can anticipate severe storms! Can you recall a time when you weathered a severe storm? I can recall a time or two being huddled with others in a basement bathroom fearing we just might be in the path of a tornado that was on the ground. As it turned out (thank you God!), the tornado passed by us within a quarter of a mile!

Sometimes there are circumstances (usually without advance notice) that cause reactions that can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. It catches us by surprise and the impact feels like we’ve just been hit over the head.

There was a time when the Israelites were held captive in Babylon. They missed their homeland, and their future was uncertain. Perhaps it felt similar to the events you thought about as you started reading here. Could they still have hope amidst and uncertain future? God assures them “yes!” in a promise found in the Bible book of Isaiah:

 “Do not fear, 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...”  Isaiah 43:1-3

What a promise! God is not just speaking to masses of people, He “calls us by name (v1).” What do you think of that? What is your reaction as you hear that the God of the universe has called you by your name? Try completing this sentence in several ways by filling in the blank. Start with saying your first name and then say, “when I face _____________, God is with me and has called me by name.”

No matter what life’s struggles bring you, he is there, he is with you, he will never leave you. And just when you think there may be no hope or no way out of a situation, the promise continues later in the same chapter:

I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator, your King.”
This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:15-16, 18-19

Another great message in this chapter is that God is the God of generations of His people. Think about your genealogy, both biological (relatives) and spiritual (those who guided you in your faith). Think about those connections that have helped to make you who you are today and thank God for them!

Finally, look at that last verse. God says, “See, I am doing a new thing?”  What is your reaction to that promise? Sometimes we may be tempted to respond, “God, I’d like to stick with the “old thing”! But we don’t. We move forward in faith with eyes wide open to see what God has planned for us, confident that he is always with us and will never leave us.