Dear Father,

It is very possible to go through a passage in Scripture, trying to understand its full content, and in the process miss the very word that gives meaning and context to the entire passage. For instance, the Scripture which says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned…”

In this passage, the word “when” was not randomly repeated three times; it was deliberately repeated to establish a fact: that “when” is not a probability, but an appointed season every man will face. And it does not only reveal certainty, but also introduces the intensity of that season through forces like rivers and fire.

To poetically analyze these words, I would liken passing through the rivers to a person with little or no swimming ability being forced into deep waters, with swimming as the only option to survival. And the fire? A painfully intense situation where every attempt to escape only seems to increase the discomfort. And through it all, one truth remains--“when” is inevitable.

However, this same Scripture assures us that though this process is real, it is not designed to overcome us. There is, however, a limitation to what the mere sight of fire can do to our minds; for in reality, we do not overcome by fully understanding what fire can do, but by our awareness of Your presence in our lives.

Translations;
Slide 1: English
Slide 2: French
Slide 3: Bengali
Slide 4: Hindu
Slide 5: Urdu

#LettertoGod
#seasons
#hardtimes
#tryingtimes