Giving My Best: A 5-Day Devotional When Life Is Hard by Dr. Michele C. WalkerSample

Day 5: Promise Keeper

Isaiah 43:1-2 (NLT)

But now, O Israel, the Lord who created you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name and you are mine. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, 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."

Our text today starts with, "But now" (verse 1). That's the "despite everything you've done" phrase. Israel didn't deserve God's mercy but because He's a promise-keeping God, who loves the people He created, God had a plan for His people that He would not abandon. God would deliver them. God has a plan for us, too. He won't turn His back on us or leave us without help (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Nothing we go through has the power to destroy us. The God who created us also named us and is protecting us. We are a marked people. We belong to God and He takes great care of His own. So, even when we're flooded with all kinds of trouble, we don't have to drown under the pressure. God will be merciful. He will send help and will protect us. He will bless us with more than we could have imagined.

But, we have a part to play. God wants us to draw close to Him. He wants to be intimate. The better we get to know Him, the more we learn to trust Him because we'll know more about His nature. I was amazed to learn that He'll even share secrets with us (Psalm 25:14). Before we know it, we'll be the witnesses to others that He wants us to be.

Let's remind ourselves of a few of God's character traits.

God is:

• Our Father. We can call on Him whenever we need Him (Psalm 17:6).
• El-Shaddai. He has everything we need (2 Corinthians 9:8).
• Faithful. He keeps His promises (Deuteronomy 32:4b).
• Omnipresent. He is everywhere (Jeremiah 23:24b).
• Sovereign. He sees and knows everything (Psalm 147:5).

Knowing who God is should bring us comfort and help us trust Him more each day. Ultimately, whatever we're going through is going to be fine because God said so. We can make it through tough situations with God as our protector and promise keeper. He hears our prayers, has our remedy, provides our strength, and is with us every step of the way.

What do you need to trust God with today?

Let's pray:

Lord, thank you for having everything we need. Give us the strength to put one foot in front of the other as we sense your protection and direction for our lives.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

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