During our time in ngm, the passage in Isaiah 43, about God doing a new thing, were verses that we read and shared what we all felt God was saying through it virtually on a daily basis. It was a part of a vision that Ray had had about a year before his death, about a new season that God was preparing ngm for. Since leaving ngm, we have heard a number of sermons on this passage, as it seems that God has been preparing a lot of churches and ministries for something new.
We are currently struggling with the pressure of trying to remain positive about the Time2 vision, when we can't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Because we had felt such a clear calling to start this journey and to leave ngm, we had been expectant that God would have provided the house by now. It's not easy being in lockdown with our daughter and an energetic 6 year old in a small 3 bed semi, when we were all used to having space to escape into. In addition, we are living off Ruth's small wage from her 15 hours a week cleaning job, which means finances are tight. All these circumstances plus more have resulted in us questioning if we heard right in the first place or whether we've missed an opportunity in the journey or if we've done something wrong along the way. Once you get in that negative mindset, it's so easy for your emotional and spiritual wellbeing to begin to spiral downwards, out of control. I will forever be grateful to those close friends who call, text and Zoom regularly with us, who encourage us, pray for us and give us a kick up the backside when needed!
As I mentioned earlier, we're finding it hard going at the moment, but this afternoon I was drawn back to some of the verses in Isaiah 43 that we used to declare out loud every day: “When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am GOD, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Saviour." (Isaiah 43:2-3 MSG). I was immediately stopped in my tracks as I remembered these verses! Even when the circumstances that surround us tell us that we're out of our depth, when we feel that we're too tired to struggle and to swim against the raging seas of life that engulf us, we need to remember God's promise that he can (and he most definitely will) keep us afloat, he will keep our head above the foaming waters. He will not only throw us a lifeline, but he will dive into the water with us and with his gentle arms around us, he will keep us afloat as he draws us to safety.
I believe that these verses are not just a promise to us at this time, but that they are also for someone else who is reading this post. We can all speak these words out and each time we say them, we can grow in the confidence that they are true and that they apply to us. So begin to speak out these truths today and remember that God will not let you drown and that he is with you. "When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you."
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