When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
—Isaiah 43:2–3
You have to wonder if more than a century later, three guys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego didn’t have this promise in their heads and hearts when Nebuchadnezzar threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace if they refused to bow before his image. It seems unlikely that mere coincidence could explain how the exact thing written actually happened; therefore, it is safe to assume the three Hebrews, who were among the best and brightest of Israel, were well aware of Isaiah’s words.
We know at this point Israel had already passed through the waters twice, at the Red Sea and the Jordan River, and now three captives would literally walk through the fire unscorched. What this tells us today is that we can have the confidence not only to know but also to act upon the Word of God.
Note that Isaiah doesn’t say “if” we pass through the waters and “if” we walk through the fire—he says “when.” We will encounter fiery trials, as 1 Peter 4:12 says, and the enemy at times will come in like a flood (Isa. 59:19). But when the fiery trials and flood of the enemy threaten to consume us, we are free to act upon the Word of God, confident that the rivers will not overflow us and the flame will not scorch us.
In other words, because the Holy One of Israel is with us, we can make it through any trial, and we are free to live like we are going to make it through. No circumstance can overcome us when we live with that knowledge as our reality.
So whether it’s flood season for you, or you feel like a dartboard for the enemy’s fiery darts, you are not alone. “You will make it through!” declares the Lord.
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