When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Isaiah 43:2–3a (NLT)

Not again.

I don’t know how much more of this I can take.

I don’t know what to do.

These thoughts and others raced through my mind as I lay there once again faced with changing circumstances. I thought things were going relatively well, then wham — another issue to deal with.

You might think that, after all these years of living with a disability (quadriplegic), I would be used to all the changes, challenges, and obstacles. However, dealing with physical difficulties together with arranging care, financial hardships, losing loved ones, and conflicts in relationships has often felt overwhelming.

Let’s face it, life isn’t always easy, whether you have a disability or not. Difficult things happen. You have to deal with tough circumstances that can leave you feeling scared, alone, and hopeless. You cannot see your way through, and you feel overwhelmed by what is happening. Worry and fear take hold, and you desperately seek a way out.

I felt this way once again that day, lying in my bed, facing yet another difficult situation.

Yet, one thing was different this time. God had been showing me that by continuously sinking into worry and fear, giving in to despair, and frantically searching for a way to change my circumstances, I was sinning. I had not been living in full trust of him, trusting him to see me through all my difficulties.

So, that day, I quickly stopped my racing thoughts of despair and turned my thoughts to God. When I did, today’s key verses, which I had studied a few weeks earlier, immediately came to mind.

In this passage, God speaks to the Israelites through the prophet Isaiah. He lets them know that their journey back to the Promised Land after captivity would not be easy. He tells them they will go through difficult situations. But, he promises to be with them until the end. He promises he will not let them be destroyed.

God speaks the same thing to each of us today.

In life, there will be many times when the figurative rivers of difficulty and fire of oppression surround you and threaten to consume you. God does not say “if” they come, but “when” they come. Blessedly, he promises he will be there to guide you through the floodwaters and fires of life. If you trust in him and reach out for his guiding hand, he will lead you to the other side, safe and secure. You will have to go through them, but you will not be overcome by them.

Lord, when the rivers of difficulty and fire of oppression surround me, help me remember you are there with me, and all I need to do is to trust in you to see me through. Amen.