God. Is. Faithful.

Our life took a little turn a little over a month ago and since then I don't think my feet have hit the ground. My desire and prayer was that God would provide the strength and energy we needed, that we would continue to serve Him with joy and bring glory to His name. And of course He did just that. He is faithful to provide the strength we need to keep moving. So, although it has been a whirlwind we are transitioning and transitioning well.

Yesterday at church we were learning from Isaiah 42 and God spoke very clearly to me through these two specific verses:

“I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness."*


What you see here is God, the Father speaking to God, the Son, Jesus. He is saying, 'don't worry, don't be afraid I am going to take care of You.' My husband spoke about how since Andrew, our oldest, was a baby he has always told him, 'when you are with daddy, you don't ever have to afraid...' and that is what we are seeing God, the Father say to His Son in this moment. 'I'm here, I have called You and You don't have to be afraid.' 

And yet, what does the Father say next? 'I will give you as a covenant for the people.' i.e. 'I am going to ask you to die for our creation so that they may be connected with me.'

God says He will keep us, that we can trust in Him and yet He never promises a life without trial or difficulty.

Our family has been through so much in the past few years and even in the past month it seems as though every day presents it's own mini-trial. i.e. yesterday it was a dead car battery, today it is a very leaking kitchen sink. Last week we had a follow-up ultrasound for our baby girl. The first ultrasound had shown some cyst-like spots on her brain and they wanted to recheck her heart also. So, our moment of rejoicing over the gift of this baby quickly turned into a petition for her health. God is, moment by moment, reminding our family to put our trust in only Him. There is absolutely no security apart from Him.

God reminded me through the passage in Isaiah that He has promised to 'keep' me (and my family) and though that does not mean 'keep from struggles or pain' it does mean that His faithfulness will sustain us... no matter what we have to endure.

As someone who has suffered greatly and had significant worldly security stripped away, I can say with absolute assurance that God has kept me. I am safe in His arms and I don't have to be afraid.

P.S. Baby girl's second ultrasound showed a perfectly healthy and beautiful baby girl. But we welcome prayers for her healthy development!

*Emphasis added is mine.