Through // Isaiah 43:2

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV) | 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.

This verse, y’all. It was the one I held most tightly while my dad battled his cancer and ultimately made his way home to heaven. There were times my world was flooded by tears and a rage blazed with the heat of a thousand suns. This verse from Isaiah helped stabilize me in my grief and anger. I came to learn through that process that grief and anger are linked. A wise mentor told me that going through such hellish times requires just that — to go through them. You cannot go over, under, or around…you must go through. I later encountered the brilliant quote from Sir Winston Churchill that if you’re going through hell, keep going! We tend to want to stop in those times we are flooded and ablaze, but we cannot. So let’s look back at Isaiah 43:2 and note that God said He is with us when we go through those times. We are not alone. It might feel like it, but we are not. God is for us. God is with us. And nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. So, if you are going through something, by all means, keep going. Don’t quit! God won’t and He aims to see you through it all.