Facing the Flames // Isaiah 43:1b, 2b &3a

I love today’s verse. It became real to me between the time my dad received his cancer diagnosis and the time he went to be with the Lord. I felt the heat of life in a way I never had previously, but also felt God’s presence in a new way, too.

Yesterday I wrote about how we must remain connected to Jesus in order to do anything. Life’s pressure and pain can cause us to shrivel in no time when we are apart from the strength, stability, and sustenance provided by our Savior. Isaiah came some 700 years before Jesus, but God’s promise transcends time and space. We can see this in the context of this passage: God has redeemed you, separating you from the separating penalty of sin; God knows you intimately and personally enough to call you by your very own name; God claims you in spite of your past and the things you have, or have not, done. As a result, God is with you when you face the flames, just like he was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace from Daniel 3, and those flames will not consume you. That is a beautiful and powerful promise…one that can sustain you when you’re facing the flames.

If you are facing the flames in this season of life, remember that God has redeemed you, knows you, claims you, and protects you. May that promise give you all the confidence you need to ensure you are not consumed by whatever you face, flickering flames or infernos alike.