Summary: <br> Has God ever made a way for you before? Have you ever stood on the edge of impossible and seen it unfold?<br> Have you been touched by his mighty power in the past? Has his power brought about provision for you? Somehow you made it through.<br> Have you experienced divine appointments only he could have arranged? You were somehow in the right place at the right time for it to happen.<br> Have you ever felt the guidance of the Holy Spirit, giving you strength which was not your own? Empowered to somehow keep going when every ounce of you wanted to give up.<br> Yes?<br> He’s made a way for you before?<br> He’s empowered you before?<br> He’s guided you before?<br> He’s strengthened you before?<br> Won’t he do it again?<br> He is the way maker. He is the promise keeper. He is the light in the darkness.<br> And honey, this darkness is NOT TOO MUCH FOR HIM! He’s not backing down from this. He’s not overwhelmed or overpowered. No, he is OVER ALL and he is IN ALL. His promises still stand and right here in the middle of this, he is making a way.<br> I don’t just mean this in general. No, he is specifically making a way through your personal darkness. He is at work for YOU, individually, personally.<br> Remember, he’s done it before.<br> Never forget how he has saved you before.<br> Never forget how he has guided you in past storms.<br> Never forget how he has provided what was needed.<br> Never forget how he has strengthened you through it all.<br> Never forget what he has brought you through.<br> Now, won’t he do it again?<br> Isaiah 43 is a reminder and a promise from God.<br> But now, this is what the Lord says—<br> he who created you, Jacob,<br> he who formed you, Israel:<br> God is so personal you can insert your name here. He is the one who created you Kim. He is the one who formed you Angela. This is for you Jennifer. Jessica, he is speaking to you. Insert your name. You are the one he created. He formed you. He made you by his own hands by his own divine design, and this is his personal message to you:<br> “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;<br> I have summoned you by name; you are mine.<br> God has called you by name and made you his own. You belong to him.<br> When something belongs to you, it becomes your responsibility. If you have a car, it is your responsibility to take care of that car. Why? Because it belongs to you. It’s on you to lock the doors. It’s on you to fill it with gas. If it’s going to get washed, then you’ll be the one washing it. It is yours.<br> And God says, YOU ARE HIS. He takes full responsibility for you. Your days are under his care. He knows every detail of your life, he is fully aware of every hair on your head as well as every worry in your head.<br> He paid a high price for you, the price of his son. Hasn’t he proven his level of responsibility for you? Hasn’t he proven his care when he calls you his own, backed by his action? He has redeemed you fully.<br> And what does God say our response to this should be? DO NOT FEAR.<br> This is an act of trust. We are called to trust God because of what he has done and what he has promised to do. Because we are his.<br> Fear is strongest in the darkness. Isn’t it funny how everything gets scarier in the dark? Watch a scary movie in a fully lit theater and it’s nearly silly. Turn off the lights and suddenly it’s scary. The same noises that terrify you at night aren’t even given a second thought in the light of day.<br> If you are in darkness right now, in a time when you can’t see your way, remember this, Jesus is the light you’re searching for. He is the only one who can show you the way through this. He said in John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”<br>
