When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee–— Isaiah 43:2
Raging storms and rising water can be a frightful sight. Yet we serve the One who is able to calm the storm or the saint. In times of great difficulty God might not calm the circumstances around you, but He will calm you! John Jowett said, when she was dying,Mrs Booth, the mother of the Salvation Army, said quietly, “The waters are rising but I am not sinking.” But then she had been saying that all through her life. Other floods besides the waters of death had gathered about her soul. Often had the floods been out and the roads were deep in affliction. But she had never sunk! The good Lord made her buoyant, and she rode upon the storm! This, then, is the promise of the Lord, not that the waters of trouble shall never gather about the believer, but that he shall never be overwhelmed. He shall “keep his head above them.” Yes, to him shall be given the grace of “aboveness.” He shall never be under, always above! It is the precious gift of spiritual buoyancy, sanctified good spirits, the power of the Christian hope. When we are in Christ Jesus circumstances shall never be our master. One is our Master, and “we are more than conquerors in Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
Dear friend it is important to note that Mrs. Booth was able to entertain that calm attitude in her time of difficulty because “she had been saying that all through her life”. She was prepared for the crisis before it came. Are you? To be calm in the crisis you must prepare for the storm by claiming God’s exceeding great and precious promises. They won’t let you down!
