"The Greater Reality"

But now, this is what the Lord says–He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk though the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV).

I hope I wasn’t too harsh on the Israelites yesterday. And, I would never diminish the reality of the difficulty of crossing the wasteland with millions of people in tow. I am fully aware that often the Morning Devotionals seem simplistic or flippant as I deal with real problems and significant challenges. Part of the reason for that is the brevity of the writing. However, the other is a little more complex. I do believe that there is a simple answer to all of our challenges. Now, I did NOT say easy; I said simple.

The reality of the presence of adversity in life is a given. If you haven’t reached a point in your life when it seemed too difficult to take another step, hang around a while. You will. Tragically some Christian teaching mistakenly proclaims that this life of faith somehow entitles us to a smooth and painless ride through life, and that if we’re not traveling first class it’s only because we don’t have enough faith. That’s not what Jesus said. Once, when a man came to Jesus pledging his commitment to follow him, Jesus replied: "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (Luke 9:58 NIV). Does that sound like He promises an easy life to you? In fact, David said life can be like walking through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).

Or consider Isaiah’s words in our reading today. None of that sounds like adversity has been avoided. However, in each of these places we are promised by the Lord, I will be with you. There it is again, simple… not easy! So, what’s the difference? I think it is in the answer to the following question: Which is a greater reality, the intensity of a trial or the presence of the Lord with us in that trial? This question sometimes cannot be answered until we have stood in the midst of the floods of adversity and experienced Him with us. It is then that the knowing moves from head to heart and the impact of the adversity lessens in the magnitude of God’s presence.

Soon I will be sharing in detail the journey of my last twelve years. However, can I assure you that I personally understand and know the difference between focusing on the greater reality? May I assure you that EVERY time I kept my focus on His presence, I have not only known peace, I have seen doors open I thought were shut and locked; I have seen pathways cleared that I thought were impassable; I have seen mountains crumble that stood in the way forward. You can do that too. Gaze at the Greater Reality of God’s presence in the Holy Spirit!