When the Work is Hard (and Linkup)

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In Isaiah 43, God’s people prepared for a journey. A long journey. A challenging journey. One sure to present danger and hardships. A journey much like the one we face every day. Our destination is a heavenly home with no pain or sadness or hurt … but we’re not there yet. Today, we travel.

But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”’ Isaiah 43:1 (NLT)

I think there’s something special about making God’s Words personal. Every night one of my boys requests we sing the familiar words of “Jesus loves me” before he shuts his eyes, except even at his young age, he won’t settle for a blanket promise. He asks, instead, “Will you sing Jesus loves Isaiah?” I smile and sing replacing every “me” with his own, unique name. And he smiles knowing God’s promises are true for him.

So, let’s do that, too. Read Isaiah 43:1 again, but this time replace “Jacob” and “Israel” with your name.

But now, O {Katy}, listen to the LORD who created you. O {Katy}, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”’ Isaiah 43:1 (NLT)

Now, with my name as the object of God’s attention, instructions become clearer and love more understandable.

It’s not a coincidence God’s first words command us to listen. Nothing else matters if His words fall on deaf ears. When I read this verse the image of a father and his child fills my mind. Dad is bent down so he can look his son or daughter in the eye. He wraps his arm around them and pleads with them to listen. He assures, “Do not be afraid,” and promises, “You are mine.”

I have six children. Let’s just say they don’t always listen when Daddy talks. Maybe the television is on, and they sneak a peak. Maybe a brother or sister runs by with a toy they want. Maybe a squirrel buries an acorn in the yard, who knows?! Whatever the case, other things vie for their attention, and all too often they are distracted. Are you distracted? Even now, when you read the promises of your Father, do you really hear them?

I created you.

I formed you.

I ransomed you.

I called you by name.

You are mine.

It’s like a pep talk before the big game. After that, how can you not run onto the field fired up and expecting victory? But you still have a game to play, and the odds are it won’t all go according to plan. That’s okay, though. God knows what we’re up against.

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

Deep waters offer no rest. You must swim until you reach more shallow waters. Rivers create a current that drags you downstream, pulling you away from the shore. The work is exhausting, maybe even overwhelming at times. But God promises you will not drown. When our feet can’t reach the bottom and the current is too strong, He is the life preserver. When we cannot swim another stroke, we can float in His arms.

Fire hurts. Steps through fire bring pain and discomfort, but fire can also be useful. God controls the thermostat. The flames may be hot enough to refine and purify us (Psalm 12:6) or loosen chains that bind us (Daniel 3:20-25), but they will not consume us.

Your head may be barely bobbing above the water today. Your head may be covered with ashes. Tears may stream down your face or sweat down your brow. You may be tired, worn, hurt. Remember your Father’s words, Do not be afraid.

I created you.

I formed you.

I ransomed you.

I called you by name.

You are mine.

 

 Are you facing a fire? Or fighting a current? What do these promises mean to you? Leave a comment! I’d love to pray with you.

Kelly-Balarie-23

Hi to all my blogger friends linking-up today with the Purposeful Faith #RaRaLinkUp! Click the link below, and you’ll be directed to the link-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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68 Comments

  1. Pingback: When the Work is Hard - Purposeful Faith

  3. Katy, I think I’m fighting a current presently, but the words of Isaiah are so comforting in this season. To know that though it feels like the waters in my life are about to engulf but me I won’t drown. These are great promises that I need to read NOW! Thanks for the post.

    1. Kia, I pray you feel God’s strong arms in the midst of this current. I pray these verses in Isaiah, and others, remind you constantly God sees you and He is with you. Thank you for sharing!

  4. Thank you for the reminder that going though the hard and messy is possible with God. He chose each of us as His children and created our journey of life but the best part is that He is with us every step of the way. Blessings!

    The link above is not working! 🙁

    1. Hi Mary, sorry for the delay, but the link should be working now. Thanks for your comment. Great to hear from you, today!

  5. Oh Katy, how I needed this encouragement today. I have struggled with addiction my entire life. I broke free from drugs and alcohol over 15 years ago but turned to food at that time and am still fighting that today. I’m feeling pretty worn out and really appreciate this “pep talk” today :). Thank you!

    1. Candace, what a testimony! Your perseverance is such a beautiful show of God’s strength. I pray you feel peace today and mount up on wings like eagles as you wait for your Lord! Blessed to hear from you today.

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  7. Hi Katy. Thanks for hosting the linkup today. I love replacing my name with scripture, and need to do it more often. I will hold on to this promise today as I face my currents of worry: ‘He is my life preserver;, Great encouragement today

  8. Pingback: Getting Back into Prayer - ACTS - Morning Motivated Mom

  9. A while back a friend bought me a stack of bible verse cards with my name inserted and it really does make the scriptures feel more personal. Thanks for reminding me to start using them again and hosting the #RaRaLinkUp.

  10. I have to say. I feel distracted almost all of the time, but when you are able to break that, it’s freeing. And, the work done and the scripture read and the conversations had are so profitable.

    1. I know exactly what you mean, Farin. It’s so hard to direct my mind to Jesus and allow my thoughts to linger there, but when I do the freedom is life-giving! Thanks for sharing today!

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  12. Katy, this was a truly amazing post! I think this has been my favorite thus far. Isaiah 43:1 is one of my favorite verses, and I really took the time to reflect upon your words. You have blessed and encouraged my heart immeasurably this morning, Thank you for sharing this! Infinite blessings to you, Love! 🙂

    #RaRaLinkup 😉

    1. Hi Tai! So great to hear from you, today. I agree, Isaiah 43 is one of my favorites, too. I’m blessed to know you were encouraged. Thank you for sharing your encouraging words with me. 🙂

  13. Katy,
    So happy to be joining you sister from the #raralinkup. These words resonate in my heart “the fire is refining and purifying me but it will not consume me”. Today when parenting is hard, I will remember I am molding and shaping not only their character, but namely my own…through the fire. When my flesh wants to get prickly at a request from my husband, I will remember I am shaping my character…through the fire; refined and purified but not consumed. I love summers and LOVE to feel the heat of the sun on my skin. I say it’s like a kiss from the Lord. This morning in my quiet time I was asking the Lord to let His glory radiate on my face and shine on me. Mmm mmm mmm, I feel the heat, I am not consumed!

    1. Amen Tyra! Marriage and parenting shapes us more than them, right?! Love your description of the summer warmth. I love it, too. Such a great reminder that heat is not always destructive, but sometimes wonderful! Thank you for sharing today. It’s great to hear from you!

  14. Thank you SO much for these words Katy. They speak straight to my heart as I am feeling much of what they address at the moment! Thank you for the encouragement of God’s TRUTH to take a deep breathe and continue 🙂 #RaRaLinkUp

    1. Hi Sarah, it’s great to hear from you today! I’m so blessed to know God used these words to encourage you! I pray today you feel God’s presence in a refreshing, tangible way. Thank you for sharing!

  15. I love this. You are a wonderful writer! You brought tears to my eyes. I think I will bookmark this post for later, when I AM in the midst of fire or deep water, to read again and remind myself of HIS truth. Those trials and hard times always come. They help us grow in our faith. And you are right: God never lets us down. He always is right there, holding us up! Thank you for sharing this.

    1. Thank you, Dana! I’m blessed to hear from you today. That’s such a great idea to keep a journal of verses to turn to when the waters rise and fires burn in our lives. Thank you for sharing today!

  16. Hi Katy! I am so glad to have been brought here through the linkup! Thank you for your blog. That really spoke to me, especially since I have been sent the verse in Isaiah many many times. Now when I add my name to it; wow it is just that much more powerful. Even when times our tough we need to remember that God will always carry us. Thank you for the reminder!

    Go #Raralinkup!

    Have a blessed day!

    1. Hi Valerie! It’s so great to hear from you. I’m glad you liked adding your name to the Scripture. It always means a lot to me. Sometimes I think I can forget God wrote the Bible just for me! So it helps me bring it back to Him talking directly to me. Blessed by your comment. Thanks for sharing!

  19. Hello Katie! I am reading your blog today for the first time, visiting from the #RaRalinkup. First, I must say: GO SAINTS!
    I loved the scripture from Isaiah, and the wonderful reminder that we serve a personal God. He knows our name! What a comfort that is to me, when going through tough times. Thank you for this beautiful reminder!

  20. Personalizing the Scriptures….love it, Katy. The idea hit several years ago, probably spoken to me from some wise woman of many spiritual years. But, I’ve let it fade and have forgotten all about personalizing those words of truth. Your reminder is sweet. Thank you!

  21. Katy, this is such a good reminder. “I created you. I formed you. I ransomed you. I called you by name. You are mine.” We should memorize it and repeat it every time we are face with doubts or hardships. I had to smile when you talked about singing to your son before bed. My middle son, now 21, had a special song I had to sing over and over by his bed at night when he was around 3. It was a “Hide ‘Em In Your Heart” song based on Psalm 4:8 – I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

    1. Oh Gayl, that sounds like such a sweet song. I’m smiling thinking of when my Isaiah is 21 years old & I’m sharing this story. 🙂 Thank you for sharing here today!

  23. Katy, there is such power in personalizing God’s Word and reminding myself His promises are for me. Thank you for reminding me, my friend, He who created me loves me and calls me by name. #RaRaLinkup

  24. Well, well Katy… Did you peek at my last few days? lol I can’t tell you how very much you wrote this just for me. Thank you for sharing. I guess the road will be hard, but that how He gets the greatest glory for His name. I find it a grace for the preparation in His words-and yours. Thank you. 🙂

    1. Thrilled that God connected our paths today, Christy! Thank you for sharing and how beautiful it is to watch our personal God at work. Blessed by you!

  25. Hi Katy! I am here from Kelly’s Ra-Ra Linkup.
    How nice to meet you today! You sure are busy with six children, but it sounds like you and your husband have such a wonderful basis in faith. That is guiding and giving you peace. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about putting your name in Scripture passages. That’s a great way to make it personal, because it is personal!
    Bless you today and everyday as you guide your little flock,
    Ceil

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  27. I cheer your heart and the power conveyed in your words Katy. We float in his arms today, knowing he has us. Thank you for sharing your heart with me. WE CAN stand the test of fire.

  30. “Deep waters offer no rest”. YES! And doesn’t it feel like we tread water until we’re exhausted sometimes? Thank you so much for hosting #RaRaLinkup today! So great to be here in such great company.
    April

  32. I had a stroke and am suffering from double vision. Please pray for my healing.
    Thank you very much. I appreciate your work. It helps me.

    1. Dan…I suffered a massive stroke almost 5 years ago. I am now recovering with God’s help. I will pray for you if you like. Be encouraged. God has a plan for you.

  33. Hi Katy, I came here from the Ra Ra link up. Your words today are such an encouragement. I need to remember that when I’m reading God’s words to Israel, that I can also apply them to me, as you’ve done here. Thank you for that reminder.

  34. “When our feet can’t reach the bottom and the current is too strong, He is the life preserver. When we cannot swim another stroke, we can float in His arms.” Oh I love this Katy. Weariness can bring us to the brink of drowning. But, relaxing to float in His arms feels so good. I have been close to going under. I will remember this sweet truth. ~visiting from #raralinkup

  35. Please pray for my husband,who is 60 yrs. old , who was fired from his job 3 weeks ago. a specific point that i am praying to GOD for his mercy is that the state that we live in will release funds they agree that they owe him but continue to hold onto without explanation. this would give us money to live on and seed money for my husband to enter in a business relationship in which we can see GOD working. Please pray that through GOD’s provision our confidence will not be wickened by the enemy.please help us to strenthen our minds to remember it is our father’s will not our own and to praise him for the provisions he provides.

    1. Tammy, I’m so sorry to hear about your husband. Thank you for sharing your struggles here and I pray God blankets you with His presence and peace. Lord, may Your strength surround and support Tammy and her family. May they hear You clearly and see You at work and may Your light shine through them and draw others to You. God bless you, Tammy.

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  37. Thank you Katy, “Deep waters offer no rest”. I love this! Distractions are everywhere, but we must choose to stop, listen and rely on His Promises.

    God Bless for your words of encouragement here and over at my blog.

  38. This is so encouraging, Katy. Thank you for reminding me I am His and He’ll get me through anything. I love the picture of when we can’t swim another stroke, we can float in His arms.

  39. How easy it is to read over God’s great promises and not really absorb them. Thanks for taking the time today to present these verses in a way that we personalize and truly hear that they are for us as well. Blessings!

  40. I was so encouraged by this…you had me reading that verse about 5 times…thanks for asking whether I was distracted. I guess I was!

  42. I so appreciate your words of your blog, and am thankful God made me aware of it today. I have had to walk through the fire, but didn’t get burned. Satan has tried to make me “sink”, but couldn’t. The Word keeps me afloat. I had to get to the point that I decided the Word is true and not the circumstances in front of my face, nor doctor reports, nor anything else that tries to scream that the Word doesn’t work, or doesn’t work for “everybody”. Settled it once and for all that the Word is true. So when the bills are unpaid, and the fridge is empty, and the bad doctor’s report screams and shouts its death tirade, and you have to apply for government assistance and humble yourself to stand in line for free food from a food bank, and your family forsakes you at your lowest point and wants nothing to do with you, and you have to go down to having only one car to pay bills because your husband is out of work….whew. Out of all of these things, I still know that the Word says that God delivers you out of them ALL. My profession of faith today is that I don’t care how long it takes, how bad my circumstances get, the Word is true.

    1. Such powerful words, Toshia! I’m blessed to hear from you this morning. Thank you so much for sharing your heart here. I know your words will encourage others, too. “the Word is true.” AMEN!

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