God with us

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you
(Isaiah 43 v2) 

If I capsize in my canoe, I enter a water-world crisis. This is a very different, disorienting world. I am upside down, trapped inside my canoe underwater and I can’t breathe life-saving air. This is a life-threatening crisis. I must summersault out of my canoe and reach the surface to breath air again. I must grab onto my canoe and stay with it - it is my floating survival capsule.
 
I have done various types of survival training. Even so, there have been many crises in my life when the challenges thrust upon me have been overwhelming. I wasn’t trained to face them. I had to work it out as I went along. Sometimes people helped me, but I often had to cope alone.
 
Before sailing a yacht on the ocean, I do a passage plan that includes going with the flow of the tides. There is no point in trying to beat the tide. It is a waste of time and energy. Sometimes the currents are so strong I end up sailing backwards, even when the sails are filled with wind!
 
This Bible verse promises that God will be with us when we pass through the inevitable waters of life. God promises I will not be overwhelmed by the rivers of life, not that I will be spared having to go through them.
 
You, or someone you care about, may be going through a river of life crisis now. Knowing that someone is with you in your crisis is a great comfort. Sharing the journey with a friend and our Lord is often more important than reaching your destination.