hope in trying times

By Bill Herried

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation. —Isaiah 12:2–3

Trying times.

At some point, we all experience them. Could be health, family, work-related, or something other.

It is one thing to experience dark times in our personal lives. But then there are times when a country (or countries) go through times of turmoil and trauma. That is a whole different level of darkness.

Violence, De-moralizing upheaval. Trauma. Disaster. Lawlessness. Darkness.

The prophet Isaiah lived through a dark time like this. His king, although imperfect, had had a long rule and brought stability to the country. In fact it was one of the most prosperous times in the nation’s history. The king and the good times the king had created had given the nation a false sense of security. Instead of looking to God and His goodness, they had settled for political solutions as the answer to their problems.

But then the inevitable happened. The king died. After 52 years of rule, he was gone. What’s next? Where do you go when a leader like this dies?

In this time of transition God brought a vision to Isaiah to refresh and refocus from the king, to the true King. Here is what Isaiah wrote:

It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke. —Isaiah 6:1–4

The king’s death brought Isaiah back to reality. Isaiah tells us that it was in this time of uncertainty that God gave him a vision of the King whose kingdom will never end.

In fact, it would be nearly 8 centuries later that John, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, would tell us exactly who it was that Isaiah saw in his vision: it was Jesus himself.

So, as Isaiah discovered, the true King rules. Though people come and go, the Lord rules forever. So Isaiah refocused his ministry and pointed his people to the One who is ever present, who never sleeps, who never retires, who never dies. Isaiah later wrote:

“Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation. —Isaiah 12:2–3

Here is my paraphrase:

Whatever comes in our lives, He is our salvation.
I can fully trust Him and set aside all fear.
Because, the Lord himself is my strength and protection
So, he will save me in every situation.
My people, when you see this, you will drink deeply from the wells of His salvation with great joy.

Dark times will come. Troubles, transitions, trials, tribulation. All a part of life. Good things come and go. But whatever comes your way remember this: God, Himself, is your salvation. He is your strength and protection.

Don’t allow fear to rule your life. Only One has the right to that rule: that is the King of glory.

He is your salvation.

Bill Herried is lead pastor at CenterPoint Christian Fellowship in Tacoma, Washington. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and Master of Divinity from Corban University in Salem, Oregon. He is married to the most extraordinary woman on the planet. Together they have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren, and he loves a good biryani. Bill invites you to learn more on Your Daily Encouragement