Isaiah 43:1-3a, But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.  For I am the Lord your God,

As a Christian, just like with Israel, God has promised to walk with you through all that you may face in life ~ the good, the bad, and the ugly!  It is a choice you must make though.  Too often when the going gets rough too many Christians choose to get angry with God and decide to go their own way and cut Him out.  I have heard people who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior also say, “If there’s a God then He would never allow all of the bad that has happened in my life”, while I can sympathize with all of the pain that life can bring ~ just exactly how does it help the situation to cut God out?  It is the godlessness in the world that brings all of that heartache and pain, anxiety, depression, abuse, etc., ~ we should all be running to Him in our times of heartache and need, not from Him!  If you are struggling today I would encourage you to take it all to Him, pour your heart out, and seek Him!  Bring more of Him into your life, not less because He is your answer!

God wants to be your healer, your vindicator, your redeemer.  He wants to shine His light through you.  In verse seven of this chapter it says, “Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory’ I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”  He has created you for His glory.  As we go into a New Year think about that.  We have had some odd years and the world seems to get crazier by the minute, so it is time for us to commit to walking closer with God so we can be the light and we can bring Him Glory in all that we do.  If you feel your life has just been 1 continual storm after the next with no relief in sight, or maybe you have been just plugging along doing the same ‘ol, same ‘ol thing, get ready for God to do something new.  Trust Him ~ seek His face and ask Him what His dreams and plans are for your life!  Write down these next verses to remind yourself that He is always working and if it looks different than you expected you can trust Him.  Isaiah 43: 16 – 21

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and horse, The army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):

“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?  I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.  The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen.  This person whom I have formed for Myself; (that is you!) They shall declare My praise.”

God has formed you to bring Him glory.  He wants to shine in your life and He can use your story if you will just give it all to Him.  Whether mountaintop or valley ~ He is there!  Choose to walk with Him through this New Year on a whole new level!  Keep Jeremiah 29: 11-13 with you to remind yourself that God has a plan and He is working out the details behind the scenes, but it is your choice to choose His plan.  Don’t try going it alone for any reason. If you have been doing your own thing and cutting Him out, now is the time to just turn to Him and walk with Him, He is waiting and ready to lead you into all He created you to be.   His best for your life is found in His plan, so make the best choices by choosing Him in all that you do and then you can know that His best is yet to come!