Through it all, God is always with us in the deep

“When you go through 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 (NLT)

What an incredible promise the Lord gives us here in Isaiah 43:2. How many of us have ever experienced what life was throwing at us — and it has made us feel like we were in over our heads? In those circumstances, we have prayed for God to deliver us. I have asked the Lord to keep my head above the water, only to discover God was in the deep with me.

The rivers described in this passage of scripture are called, “rivers of difficulty.” It is when the problems of life become treacherous. God promises again we will not drown. God doesn’t promise that we won’t grow tired and weary. The Lord does not promise that there will not be some pain and discomfort involved. However, what the Lord does promise is that we will not be overcome.

The next phrase of the verse is interesting. The NLT adds the word oppression to fire. Oppression identifies what type of fire it is. The fire here described in Isaiah 43:2 is one of severe mental pressure or distress. Paul testifies to this pressure in 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.” (NLT)

This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

There will be times when we will have an enormous amount of pressure and distress. However, Jesus has an answer for us when it comes to this type of oppression. We need to cast all our cares to Jesus.

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” (NLT)

Everything thing has a cause and effect when it comes to Matthew 11:28-30. The cause is this: you go to Jesus because you are weary and tired. The effect: Jesus will give you rest. Jesus will teach you if you take his yoke upon yourself. Jesus is humble and gentle at heart. So, call out the name of Jesus and you will find rest for your soul. Jesus’ yoke is easy to endure because the burden he gives you is not heavy.

What a Friend we have in Jesus.

Dave Truncone is the pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Van Buren. He is married to Heidi and they have two daughters, Hannah and Abigail. They live in Van Buren.