Isaiah’s promise was written not to those in comfort, but to those in exile—those who knew displacement, the terror of flood and flame. Today’s headlines show us anew what the prophet knew: that vulnerability and peril are real, and that divine presence is not a shield against suffering, but a companionship through it. When we witness those burned and trapped by wildfire, children losing education to debt repayment, or populations fleeing typhoons and conflict, we are invited not to explain or defend, but to recognize the ancient promise held for all who pass through waters they did not choose. The question is whether we, too, will draw near to those in the fire.