Our focus for the month of August is Thriving in God’s Protection. Isaiah 43.2 is the verse we will use to focus on God’s protection. We read, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; 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”.
In Isaiah chapter 42, we see God reminding the Israelites they are his “chosen people in whom he delights” (v. 1) and in verse 6, he tells them he “will take you by the hand and keep you..” As chapter 42 continues, God also reminds Israel of their failure to hear and see what God is doing in their life. In chapter 43, God reminds Israel that in spite of their failure to hear and see, God has redeemed them and called them by name.
He will not allow them to be overwhelmed or consumed by the waters and fires of life.
We see examples of God’s people thriving in his protection. Exodus 14 tells of how, at the Red Sea, God parted the waters for his people to pass through and then let them fall upon the Egyptians, drowning them. In Joshua 3, God held the waters of the Jordan River back while the priests stood there with the Ark of the Covenant until all the people had passed through the river. We see God’s protection of Daniel and his friends from the heat of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3. All throughout scripture, God is protecting his people.
I challenge you to ask yourself how you are thriving in God’s protection this day, this week, this month. Are you feeling overwhelmed, consumed? If so, remember, God has called you and he is transforming you with the power of His redeeming grace.
Rest in his grace, Chaplain Val