“When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

-Isaiah 43:2

Does this scripture verse feel true to your life’s experience?

This is a question I recently discerned as part of a study that I did with my small faith group. The question was accompanied with the above verse from Isaiah 43. After reading the verse, I was then to reflect on whether I felt this scripture verse to be true in my life. My immediate answer was yes. Absolutely. God’s faithfulness in carrying me through difficult and challenging times in my life is evident in the fact that I am here today still standing on the other side of it all. As I read Isaiah 43:2 again, I decided to dive a little deeper into how God worked this verse in my life. 

God Carried Me In My Uncertainty

As my marriage came crashing down almost four years ago, I found myself deep in the trenches of darkness. Everything I knew or thought I knew to be true about my life was all different now. The circumstances revolving around what happened in my marriage left me in the position to make the next move. Was there a chance this marriage would survive this devastation or was my marriage over? What would this do to my family? My girls?

The weight of the decision was heavy and with a heart shattered to pieces, I struggled on how I could take the next step needed, when I could barely bring myself to get out of bed. It took everything inside of me to do anything other than sit staring at the wall or curled up in my bed crying. There was no way I was in a position to be making decisions about the future of our marriage. But to be honest, neither was my husband.  And after all the hurt and destruction, he found himself in a place where he felt unworthy to call any shots let alone make any big decisions. With both of us at rock bottom, how were we going to move forward in any direction at this point?

That is where God came in. 

As I sat alone in my tears and brokenness, I invited God to come and sit with me. I asked Him why. I asked Him what to do. I even got angry with Him. Then I just sat in the stillness and waited. In the stillness, I felt God’s embrace. I heard Him whisper, “I have you.”

In my worst pain and suffering, God started to work. He held me up ,helped me endure my pain and brokenness and gave me strength through His grace to start taking tiny steps forward through the uncertain waters ahead. God gave me courage to walk through the fires that seemed to be burning all around me. 

“God gave me courage to walk through the fires that seemed to be burning all around me.”

For the first time in a long time I did not feel alone. I felt the slightest strength within me to take the next step and it was evident that strength came from God. I took the first hard step in reaching out to my husband to let him know that even in the shattered pieces of my broken heart, I was not ready to walk away from our marriage just yet. Where our marriage would end up was something I was uncertain about, but God had given me enough of a push to know there was something left there to take a step forward instead of away.

After that one small step, I started the search for help from a professional counselor. I did not know at that time if my husband was going to agree to counseling, but I knew at the very least I was going to need all the help possible to navigate through the destruction, heartbreak and hopefully healing. 

No matter the outcome of it all, I needed to walk in the uncertain waters ahead of me. One step at a time God guided me and continued to be there walking hand in hand with me. I don’t want to sugarcoat the situation and have you believe that once I felt God’s presence all went easy and everything with my marriage and heartbreak fell perfectly into place. Because that is the farthest thing from the truth. Countless tears continued to be shed, more hurt revealed, challenge after challenge thrown at us, but through all of it, God was with us. 

Looking back, I endured so much pain, heartbreak and uncertainty. Things I never would have thought I could endure. 

God showed up and He saved me, saved my husband and saved our marriage. Walking through the darkest waters and fiery flames with my husband was the hardest journey I have been on. By God’s grace, our marriage survived those dark waters and fiery flames.

“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.”

Isaiah 43:2

So Friend, does this scripture verse feel true to your life’s experience?

Just a few short years ago, I may not have answered this question with a “yes.” If you find yourself answering with a “no,” or even a “I am not sure,” then I hope these three words below can help you remember to turn to God when we find ourselves in painful and uncertain times.

These three words helped me remember to turn to God during the pain of my broken marriage.

Invite+Ask+Sustain

Invite. Invite God into your pain. Tell Him how you feel and let God know you need Him. There is such power in just inviting God to sit with you in your sufferings.

Ask. Ask God for strength. Ask Him what the next right step is. Ask Him any questions that are on your heart.

Sustain. After you have invited God into your mess and asked Him for guidance, simply let Him sustain you. Accept His grace and let Him carry you through your pain and uncertainty. Our God will sustain you one step at a time. He will provide what is needed to get you through the the present hardships and those uncertainties that remain ahead of you.

Friend, I want you to know that while our circumstances and sufferings in life will change and shift, God’s faithfulness will not. God’s faithfulness means everything to me. Through the devastating circumstances of my marriage, God showed me that He won’t let the darkness consume. Let God walk beside you when life gets hard. He will carry you through it all. He will not leave your side even as the waters recede and the flames are put out.  He is there always. Reach out and take His hand and let Him give you the strength. Don’t let the heartbreaks and suffering of this life consume you. When you have a God who will never leave your side, why would you turn anywhere else? 

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness and never ending grace. Help me remember to invite you into my pain and suffering, so that you may guide my steps and carry me through the rough waters and fiery flames of life. May I rest in the truth that you will never leave my side and your strength can sustain whatever life throws my way. In Jesus' name, Amen.