Through the Night

Through the Night

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when
 you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you,
 and when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned.”
                                                             Isaiah 43:2

In the story of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den, as we celebrate God’s incredible protection and deliverance of Daniel, we have a tendency to miss one important point. And I think it’s a point that can make a real difference in our understanding of God’s dealings in our lives. The point is this: Daniel spent an entire night in the lion’s den, trusting God during the dark hours of night, having faith in his God while he endured and waited patiently for the dawn of a new day and for God’s deliverance. Daniel experienced what David wrote about when he said: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

The key word is through. David walked through some valley of the shadow of death times in his life but God was always with him. Daniel spent a night surrounded by ferocious lions but God was with him; and Joseph made the trip to Egypt shackled and in irons, but with a God who had a plan to use Joseph to save an entire people. And don’t forget the three Hebrew young men, who refused to worship an idol and were thrown into the furnace. Before their rescue, they may have spent some time in the heat of the fire but they were not alone. The story tells of a fourth man with them who looked “like a son of the gods,” none other than the Son of God.

We make a mistake when we forget the promise of God that when we go through difficult times, and challenging and trying circumstances, He will be with us. The verse above doesn’t say that you won’t go through the waters or rivers or fires; it says that when you do, God will be with you, watching over you and protecting you every step of the way. As Joseph traveled to Egypt in chains, I have no doubt that God’s eye never left him. Not only did Daniel spend an entire night with lions that could have taken his life with a single blow, but so did God. God was there the whole time, in total command of those lions, keeping Daniel safe and protected.

We need to realize that we will go through troubles and difficulties but that is not a sign, as the enemy would have us believe, that God has abandoned us. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is always with us, caring for us in the battle, helping us as we go through the struggle and keeping an unseen eye over our lives as He builds character and faith in a people that He has great plans and purposes for. May that truth help you to persevere in your walk of faith!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church