When you pass through the waters...

Passage: Isaiah 43:1-13

I just heard a news report about a 70-year-old woman whose home was swept out to sea by last week’s tsunami. Miraculously, the woman survived the ordeal and was rescued today. One can only speculate as to her frame of mind today. Is she bitter that her house and all her possessions were obliterated in one fell swoop? Or is she just glad to be alive?

In the poignant words of Isaiah 43, God tells his people that he will never abandon them to the disasters of this broken world. He identifies himself as their “Savior”, and tells them again and again not to fear. God will always rescue his people.
That being said, God does not promise that disaster won’t strike. He says,
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.
Not, "if you pass through the waters"; not "the fire and water will never come." When. When you face fire, water, hail and thunder; tsunami, recession, cancer, death. When the inevitable disaster comes, fear not. The LORD your God, the Holy One, your Savior, has redeemed you, and you are his. He will never leave your side.