How Does God Help You When You Pass Through the Waters?
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One of the greatest attributes of God, in my opinion, is that He is a promise-making God. He knows that life in this sin-sick world is challenging at the very least, and we will need help “when you pass through the waters.” But what does it mean that He made this promise to Israel thousands of years ago? What comfort does it bring us today?
What Does it Mean to Pass Through the Waters?
We wouldn’t have this phrase without two awe-inspiring and nature-defying miracles that God performed for the Israelites.
The first was when God (through Moses and Aaron) tormented the Egyptian pharaoh to release the millions of enslaved Israelites who had been held captive for hundreds of years. When the slaves hiked out of Egypt and headed toward the land God promised them, they saw a company of Egyptians chasing behind in chariots and the enormous, seemingly impassable Red Sea in front of them. There was no way they could cross on their own without drowning, so God parted the sea. A pathway dried up in the middle with the Red Sea held back on either side by the hand of God. His people literally passed “through the waters.”
If the first “pass through the waters” miracle was at the beginning of the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land, it’s interesting that the second time God provided for them with a water-parting miracle was when they were finally ready to enter that same land. It took 40 years because of their sin and rebelliousness, but they finally reached the Jordan River. With Joshua in charge, God ordered that the priests carry the ark of the covenant into the river, and the minute their toes touched the water, it stopped flowing. Once again, God provided for His people and allowed them to pass through on dry ground.
Without this completely unexpected provision, God’s plan to get His people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land would be thwarted. But what seems impossible to us is completely possible for God. At both times, it would have been critical that God go with them–to keep them from being too terrified to move forward. How many of us, even after seeing all of the miracles and plagues in Egypt, would be entirely comfortable walking through a sea with towering walls of water on either side of us?
When Isaiah wrote about this phrase hundreds of years later, every Israelite would understand what it was referencing. The Israelites faced conquest by the Assyrians to the north, and Judah would later be taken into exile in Babylon. God would allow them to be taken captive again because of their sins and not following the Law of Moses. Would God be merciful again when they lost their temple, homeland, and freedom?”
What Does God Promise Will Happen When You Pass Through the Waters?
“But now, this is what the LORD says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, 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 through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.’” (Isaiah 43:1-2)
Since we are talking about God protecting His children in seemingly impossible ways, we can also mention that “the flames will not set you ablaze” certainly would remind one of the time that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, exiles in Babylon had been thrown into a fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar. The king noticed “one like a son of the gods” in the fire with the three men, who walked out without so much as a smell of smoke on them.
So the promise Isaiah was offering the Israelites was the same as those who walked through the Red Sea, the Jordan River, and King Nebuchednazzar’s furnace: you will go through gut-wrenchingly scary things that you may think will even kill you. Yet God will be with you. And He won't just be with you to watch how you’re going to act. He will be with you to remind you, as Isaiah did, that “. . . I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, Your Savior; . . . Since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you…Do not be afraid for I am with you.” (Isaiah 43:3-5)
Another thought about “when you pass through the waters”: this phrase implies getting through to the other side with God. Whether it ends with resolving a problem here or taking us home to heaven, God will be with those who love Him and whom He loves.
Where Does the Phrase “When You Pass Through the Waters…” Appear in the Bible?
These verses are found in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, whose ministry occurred between 740 and 680 BC. These were unsettling times for God’s people. This was the time of the divided kingdom following the split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Two themes also split the prophecies of Isaiah: chapters 1-39 speak of God’s judgment against His peoples’ rebellion, and chapters 40-66 speak of God’s promise to be present and to restore the people of His covenant.
“When you pass through the waters” appears in verse 43:2-3, in that second section of the Book of Isaiah, when God comforts His people. He also writes in this section:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
There is promise after promise of the Lord providing for His people by removing their transgressions and allaying their fears.
Does “When You Pass Through the Waters…” Mean that We Won’t Experience Trouble?
The key word we all hate to read in this verse is “When.” We would much rather Isaiah had gotten word from the Lord that “If we pass through the waters…” then we would have some chance of escaping hardship, persecution, trial, or just plain suffering.
On the other hand, “when” can be comforting. It tells us that God, in His sovereignty, knows every day of our lives and what will happen. On the occasion of hard times, God promises the best of all: He will be with us. If God is with us and God is for us, who can be against us? Who else do you want in the boat but the captain who knows best how to navigate the waters?
Things to Remember When You Pass Through the Waters Today
1. God is sovereign over every situation and will only allow what is for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory (Romans 8:28).
2. God is able to split the waters so that you can walk through on dry ground (with Him).
3. God is ready and willing to forgive and restore (Isaiah 43:25).
4. God cares about your fears and wants you to trust Him to carry you.
5. God is for you, so anything coming against you, even a tsunami of suffering, is no match for His ability to walk through it with you.
The hymn “How Firm a Foundation” is a glorious reminder of these truths with the following lyrics:
“When thro' the deep Waters I call thee to go,
“The Rivers of Woe shall not thee overflow;
“For I will be with thee, thy Troubles to bless,
“And sanctify to thee, thy deepest Distress.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Ian Espinosa
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
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