July 13

Isaiah 41, 42, 43

Isaiah 43:1-7
But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"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.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

Today's passage is a nice reminder that even though we face hardships and go through difficult times, God never forgets about us or leaves us alone. We may pass through water or fire, but we will not be swept away and we will not be set ablaze. This is because we belong to God and He loves us more than we can imagine.

Last week, Travis and I were driving home after visiting family in Michigan for two weeks. It's about a 20 hour trip by car so we divided it over two days, stopping somewhere in western Pennsylvania overnight. As we were resting in our hotel room, I started thinking about the first time Travis and I traveled to Connecticut almost 9 years ago. Just like last week, we had stopped in a hotel in PA on our way to a job interview at Sikorsky in Stratford. I was terrified at the idea of possibly moving to Connecticut, far away from everything and everyone I knew in Michigan. Travis was with me, but I felt so alone. I didn't think I could make it through this fear. Nine years later, Travis and I own a house, have jobs that provide our needs, and have the love and support of a wonderful church family.

We faced a lot of hardships since that first stay in a Pennsylvania hotel. But through everything, God has brought us through without being swept away and He has provided us with more than I could possibly have imagined. Remember that God is always there and He will never leave you.