As I reflect on my life- what I have been through and where I am today; there certainly have been many times my choices or the choices of others could have destroyed me. I am reminded of a passage in the book of Isaiah, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. “ Isaiah 43:2 (NASB) Even before I was serving God, He was there. I can look back and see his hand of protection upon me.
God’s protection does not mean bad things won’t happen to us or our lives will be easy. It does mean when we go through tough times He will be there. When I was 8 or 9, I was harmed by a neighbor man. You may ask, “Where was God”? He was there. I see His hand as he miraculously alerted my mother to what was going on and she put a stop to it. It was a terrible situation, but it could have been much worse.
God doesn’t always do things in big glamorous ways; often He speaks in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). Many years later, I found myself in a toxic marriage. Truth be told, this did not happen overnight, and I certainly should have seen it coming. I remember walking down the aisle thinking, “This is a mistake,” but I went through with it anyway. As things progressed and got more toxic, I knew I had to walk away before it destroyed me. The problem was that throughout the marriage, I allowed myself to be isolated from family and friends. When the time came to leave, I didn’t have anywhere to go for a variety of reasons. As I walked around the mall on the day I left, trying to figure out where to go and what to do, I heard this voice. Looking around trying to figure out where it was coming from, there was no one there. This voice kept saying, “Go to Betty’s house.” Betty was my high school best friend. I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years, but I went. She and her husband met me at the door, and I will never forget their words: “Thank God, you have finally come to your senses.” They took me in and helped me get back on my feet. I was only there for a few days, but it’s what I needed to get my bearings and figure out what to do.
God’s protection and provision often involve other people. In fact, it was this same friend and her sister-in-law who set my current husband, Jeremy, and me up on a blind date. My friend saw me starting to spiral and knew I needed someone good and healthy in my life- thus the blind date. This blind date resulted in the best 29 years of my life (and still going), 3 fabulous children, 2 amazing daughters in love, and 3 grandchildren and counting.
Life is full of ups and downs, stressful times and peaceful times, joy and sadness. Whatever you are going through, trust Him. When it looks like things will never get better, look up and around, He is there. Sometimes we just have to look. We are often so clouded by our circumstances that we don’t see Him there. He is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1). He is faithful and will protect us from the evil one (2 Thessalonians 3). He tells us to fear not (Isaiah 41:10). He is our hiding place (Psalm 32:7).
