God Promises to Be with Us in Trouble

But now thus says the LORD,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

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.

These verses from Isaiah 43:1-2 are one of my favorite passages of Scripture. In these two verses, we can find one of God’s greatest promises to His people – He will be with us in everything that we go through in life. What comfort comes from these words! The God who created you, the God who calls you by name because you are His, promises that not only will He be with you in times of trouble, but your trouble will not overwhelm or consume you.

Maybe you are feeling tremendous pressure at work, maybe you or someone close to you is dealing with a debilitating or even life-threatening illness, or maybe you are in the middle of a crisis in your marriage. You may feel like you are in a river or a flood that is threatening to pull you under. Whatever the situation may be, the God who created you will be with you and will not allow the situation to overwhelm you. He will walk through it with you till you reach the other side.

Maybe you are facing criticism or even persecution because of your faith. Family and friends who do not share your faith may have turned against you or even distanced themselves from you. Maybe you are being unfairly treated at work because of your faith. The flames of persecution may take many forms, some subtle and some quite blatant. Whatever form persecution may take in your life, the God who calls you by name, the God who calls you His, will stand with you in the flames and those flames will not consume you.

Jesus said that, as believers, we will face trouble in this world. We are not immune to it just because we have accepted Him as our Savior and are striving to live a life that reflects Him. But, Jesus has overcome the world and so we can go through those troubles enveloped in His peace (John 16:33). Through our troubles, God is with us. He promises to walk through them with us every step of the way.