Water is powerful – a necessity for life and also a threat to life when it surges out of control.
There is One who is always in the midst of the waters, bringing life every day and sustaining life when it is threatened. This same Spirit is with you now.
Feel and know the Spirit's presence.
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth — everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Isaiah 43:5-7
Wherever God’s people are in this world, they are not out of God’s sight. The Holy Spirit is protecting them for the glory of the Lord. The Israelites had been greatly oppressed in Egypt. Other nations could easily threaten their existence and take them captive in war, yet God said, “These people are mine. Give them up. You can’t harm them.” Such a promise was significant under those circumstances.
Many of us may not have experienced this particular type of oppression, yet all of us have things in our lives that feel like threats or hardships. Perhaps we need protection from a bully. Perhaps our family is going through a difficult time. Perhaps following God’s call for our lives will one day make us move away from our loved ones. Wherever we are, the Spirit proclaims that we belong to God — that we’re under the Lord’s protection and love. The Holy Spirit is the God who is present — always with us.
Laura Rector
Spirit, thank you for your presence, no matter where I am or what’s happening in my life. Thank you for never abandoning me. Amen.
Beside the healing stream,
Drink in the Spirit's power.
In the midst of the whelming flood,
Know the Spirit's care.
Let the Spirit carry you
As the river carries a vessel
To its destination,
To its home.