The Promise of
His Presence

God has not forsaken us or left
us to the mercy of circumstances.

We serve a profoundly personal God. When we can grasp the fact that God wants to be intimately involved in our lives, it is not hard to believe that He will be with us no matter what trying or terrifying circumstance we may be facing. In Isaiah 43:2, we read the words, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” What wonderful assurance—that the Creator of the universe will stand by our side!

Notice that God’s promise begins with “when” you pass through the waters, not “if.” We will face trials. We may face a crisis or a tragedy. The words “waters” and “fire” denote the most extreme peril, but God’s assurance is an unequivocal, reliable, “I will be with thee.” And not only will He be there, but He can give us power, grace, strength, and endurance to meet every difficulty—if we will let Him.

First, we must hand our lives over into His control. Then we must grab hold of the promise of His presence and hang on. Whatever the events swirling around us may seem to indicate, we must believe. On the basis of His Word, we can be sure that God has not forsaken us or left us to the mercy of circumstances.

God formed each of us in the womb. He has numbered all our days. Patiently, repeatedly, in countless different ways and situations throughout His Word, He reiterates His promise to be with us. As we believe and prove these promises day by day, our faith grows. We can accept any situation as God’s appointed place for us, knowing that He will be there with us.

We cannot be sure that God will always do what we think He should do. We cannot ask Him to work out the difficult situations in our lives and not accept that His ways are best. He wants our undaunted trust, not our unenlightened opinions of His ways.

Trust is not a passive frame of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them in spite of situations that threaten to overwhelm us. Our greatest good comes when we make trusting God our first priority, regardless of the circumstances we are in.

One of the great blessings of Christianity is the quiet confidence that God is with us and that He is in control. Do you have that assurance? You can!