“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
This past week, my family and I had the opportunity to attend an exhibition event by the CCHS competitive cheer team. One thing that was impressed upon me was the trust involved in the sport. My wife kept commenting to me about the unique connection and trust that had to have been developed between the teammates, knowing and believing, without a doubt, that they would be where they needed to be when they needed to be there, that they would catch those who were falling, that they would move in-sync with one another. That was true. It was simply amazing to watch that level of trust performed and done with courage, fun, and companionship. Every team possesses a level of friendship mingled with trust and reliance, and this could be said to be more evident than ever in regards to the competitive cheer team.
In this way, we see a comparison to our relationship with our God. We have covenant friendship with our God, a friendship that centers around trust. However, unlike the earthly teams that we are a part of, the team that we have been made a part of through Jesus Christ is unlike any other team. This is a team where one member takes and puts the rest of the team on His back and carries them. That is Jesus Christ, our Savior. He carries the team and because of that, we can rely entirely on him. We are constantly tripping, falling, failing. Yet, our God is always there to pick us up. He catches us. So, when our life seems “up in the air” or our life is “taking a tumble”, we trust that He is there to wrap us in His capable arms, gently setting us back on our feet. Just like a tumbler in a cheer competition, if it was up to that member of the team to catch themselves off the top of the tower, they would inevitably fall and fall hard. Yet, they have a team that catches them and they trust, without a doubt, that the team will skillfully catch them and lightly restore them to their feet. Likewise, we have confidence in our Leader that He will catch us and care for us so that we never will fall from His care.
This is what Isaiah is speaking of in this passage. When we go through the different trials (the waters and the fires), our great God is there with us each step of the way. Because of this, we will not be consumed. The fires of temptations in our life cannot char us and utterly destroy us. Not because we are strong enough to stand, but because our Deliverer will provide a way to escape: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”(I Corinthians 10:13). We don't carve a way of escape for ourselves, but instead God, for Christ’s sake, opens a way for us. When the sea of uncertainty and doubt arises in us a wave of anxiety, our God is there to help us stand and pass through the water, emerging strengthened in our faith and confident in His might. What a beautiful God we have! One in which we rely and trust utterly, and, through Christ’s power and in His merit, we have riches and confidence unfettered to the fleeting uncertainties of our own strength.
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