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. Isa 43:2 (NLT)
The world is made up of billions of individuals – each one important, each one carrying their unique story. Our collective stories, including those past, makeup the world we know. And like great books, our stories are so varied and different from one another… But they all carry similar themes: joys, heartaches, pressure, hurt, hope, love, hatred, betrayal, faith… and more.
It’s easy to become enraptured with our own story and be blinded by it to those around us. We aspire, and we dream, and we accumulate stuff, and we amass wealth and experiences, and we complain when we don’t get what we want, and we judge when someone hurts or annoys us, and we sink into morbid despair when hardship comes, then we blame and point fingers… all this because our ears are filled with our own narrative, drowning out the voices and plight of others.
Our stories were never meant for solo flight – they will never reach their full potential or impact until they’re shared and exchanged with someone else… let someone read it, add to it, pour over it, mark it, enjoy it… cry and laugh, sharing stories, exchanging moments… hearts.
God ‘wants in' on our stories too. This passage in Isaiah tells us that we are never alone – no matter what we go through, no matter what part of the story we're up too, the scary and sad parts, the chilling and horrific parts, God never stops reading. He’s not on the sidelines judging, and He’s not at the end waiting for us to finish – He is with us everywhere we go. He wants to share His story of faith, hope and love with us to the point where our narratives mingle, and you can’t tell where one story starts and the other one ends.
No matter where the story of your life is up to, God is with you – even through deep waters, rivers of difficulty and fiery oppressions… He will not leave you.
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