Do you ever have a bad day?  I mean one of those:  “I should not have got out of bed today” days?  We all wish that we never had to have those days, but if you live life long enough, you will have more than your share of those days!  I think that when you are working hard to live the right life of a Christ follower, that you might even have more of those days than most, because we can’t respond to the world and it’s challenges in just any ole way that we want to!

This morning I was reading in Isaiah 43:2 and it says:  “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.”

Notice it does not say that we won’t get wet.  It does not say that we won’t face some pressure and current from life.  It does not say that we can avoid the fire of life.  In fact it implies that as we walk through life, we will have to walk through water, the current and the fire!  It does not say”if” you pass through, but “when” you pass through!  If we are living and breathing and walking through life, then we are going to have to walk through some though stuff!

It does say that we can pass through the waters, current and fire!  We don’t have to stay in the tough times.  You and I can choose to give up and set up camp in the frustrations and disappointments of life, or we can choose to walk on through these times to the something better that God has on the other side!

When the waters of frustration, disappointment and discouragement begin to rise in your life – remember that you are not alone!  God has promised that He is with you and He will never leave you, nor forsake you!  God does not give up on you, so please do not give up on yourself or Him!

When your frustrations, dissappointments and discouragements grow into a raging river – remember that God is in control and He will not allow it to overflow you!  When you can’t keep you head above water, God will be there to give you the helping hand that you need!  Just make sure that you are willing to reach up and take His hand of help!

There will be times of fire, when our lives and our motives are tested.  This is never any fun, but as we stay faithful to our Creator and keep on walking through by trusting in Him, He will not allow the fire to burn us or the flame from that fire to scorch us!  It’s pretty cool that we can walk through the fire with God and come out on the other side not even smelling like smoke!

There is no promise that life will always be easy and I am glad, because if it was easy, there would probably be no growth or real meaning.  And while it is never any fun going through the though stuff, I thank God that we don’t have to go through it by ourselves.  It could be worse, if God were not with us, but He is and that encourages me to keep on walking through whatever life might throw my way!