I Will Be With You Though the water rises, You won’t be drowned Though the fire rages I’ll protect and surround. You can be strong Though it’s weakness, you feel Have good courage Through you have no zeal. For I am with you Though you may not see Know that you can trust And rely upon Me. For trouble comes To all on the earth No one’s immune Even from birth. Because it’s hard You may think I’m gone I'm right by your side Though the trial is long. Know that there’s nothing That can tear me away I’ve promised to be there Throughout all of your days. Give me your cares Your weakness and sorrow I’ll give you strength for All your tomorrows. 2024 Sandy Popp
Lonely and Isolated
Why do we feel so alone when we are going through trials? Even if we have loving, supportive people around us, why can hardships make us feel so isolated? It makes me think of my going through something now, and I was encouraged by my previous cancer journey. Although amazing people walked beside me(Cancer brings out the best of humanity), there were times when I felt utterly alone. Why? It’s us in the hot seat, facing the heartbreak of the estranged loved one, the heartbreak, the rejection. It was my body tied to the table during radiation, laying still and contained while passing through ominous scan machines; it’s our veins that are being accessed with the poison of chemo and us with barely the energy to stand yet throwing up. Just as God was with me on those machines, He can be with you where no one else can be.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
Isaiah 43:2
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
The Comfort of “When”
I’m doing a Bible study with my sister from the Heavenly Mister (our nicknames for one another), and Isaiah 43:2 was one of the scriptures today. God speaks through his word in such interesting ways. When reading Isaiah 43:2, the word “When” stood out to me. It dawned on me that God put that word in there to remind us that He has planned to be there with us in our upcoming and current difficulties. There is no “If” when it comes to difficulties in life, there is when. We can be just as certain that we don’t have to face them alone. We can be assured that God is with us when we walk through the worst.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
He Will Never Leave
How beautiful is Deuteronomy 31:6! He promises never to leave or forsake us; because of this, we can be strong and courageous. It might get hot, but we won’t get burned up. We may be sinking in the waters of trials, troubles, and sorrows, but we won’t drown. The mighty God who created the earth and everything in it is with us. We don’t have to be afraid, but we can be strong and courageous. Why? Because God is with us and will never leave or forsake us, even in the worst of times.
