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 fire of oppression, you will not be burned up, the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:2
Avigdor (ah-VEEG-dohr) is a Hebrew name that means protector or father. It is also taken to mean "the one who establishes boundaries." When we test the waters by dipping our feet in, then one small step at a time, we are moving forward. The shallow water is a comfortable place to be, but God wants us to go a little further, and go a little deeper. God is with us in the deep where He calls us to go. He wants us to go out into the uncharted waters and put our trust in Him.
There will be rivers of difficulty ahead. The water may rise and flow swiftly around us, but we will not be taken under; we will not drown. God will surely protect us because He is our life preserver and will keep us afloat.
We will also walk through the fire of oppression. Oppression is the state of being subject to unjust treatment or control; mental pressure or distress. The first thing that comes to mind is
if God is for us who can be against us? No one! With God on our side everything is under control. There will be times we feel the heat, but the flames will not burn or consume us.
Water and fire are two of the most naturally dangerous forces on earth. However, God is our protector, and is the One who establishes boundaries. He controls how high the water rises and how quickly the current flows. God controls the fire and sets a boundary it cannot cross. If necessary He will extinguish the flames.
When we are going through deep waters God is with us; protecting us. He has proven He can make a way through the water and part them so we can walk on dry ground. Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all the night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! Exodus 14:21-22
When we are going through rivers of difficulty God is with us; protecting us. He has proven the water can be backed up until the riverbed becomes dry then people can cross over on dry land. It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river's edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord's Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground. Joshua 3:15-17
When we walk through the fire Our protector is with us. God has also proven that He walks through the fire with us. "Look!" Nebuchadnezzar shouted. "I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!" Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn't even smell of smoke! Daniel 3:25-27
So, whether we are going through deep waters, rivers of difficulty, or walking through the fire remember God is always with us and protecting us!
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