Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you.
I’ve called your name. You’re mine.
When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.
When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you’re between a rock and a hard place,
it won’t be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God, (Isaiah 43:1b-3a, The Message)
I have struggled with writing this reflection. I normally send this email out on the 1st and 15th of the month, but the 15th came and went and I was stuck as to what I should say in the face of so many feeling fear and anxiety. I ran an 8K last Saturday and, while I was stretching before the race, saw this little piece of public art that’s displayed above. Twelve empty bottles of Corona stuck in the ground, upside down. I was so taken by the symbolism of this and thought, surely, this will inspire me to write about how COVID-19 has turned everything upside down. But the 15th passed as did the 16th and I found myself this morning going back to a passage that has brought me great comfort over the years.
I can’t recall the first time I noticed this when I read this passage, but it’s the word “when” that has always stuck out to me. It’s not “IF you’re in over your head…” or “IF you’re in rough waters” or “IF you’re between a rock and a hard place.” It’s when. God seems to be saying through Isaiah that it’s guaranteed there will be moments when we feel over our head and in rough waters and in a hard place. The good news is that these difficult times are not the final word. There are other “when”s that offer what I hope is comfort to all of you. They are the other short phrases that are God’s promises to us. I hope these are helpful for you and perhaps they can become a mantra of sorts: Don’t be afraid//I’ll be there with you//you will not go down//I am God. And again: Don’t be afraid//I’ll be there with you//you will not go down//I am God.
Of course, none of us have the answers to how we should respond during this unprecedented times. Some (maybe most) days, we’ll want to hole up. And that’s perfectly understandable. I have found myself being a little uninspired and lethargic! But if you have the strength and the assurance that God is indeed with you in the rough waters, perhaps you can be the “when” in someone else’s life so that they know that God is not an “if.”