"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
Usually, man considers himself to have been delivered from trouble only when a must-happen trouble does not happen at all. Because that is what we are used to, when we ask God, in moments of danger, to "let this cup pass from us", our way of judging if God has done something about the cup is when it is entirely forbidden from happening. But God has more tools in his box than that. He is able to keep you intact without necessarily letting the cup pass from you.
This was what He did when The Lord Jesus prayed the same prayer. While the Father did not let the cup pass as Jesus opted, The Father rather emptied the cup of the devastating effect it could have had on Jesus. This is one of the ways of God, that when we pray to escape certain challenges, God may still allow us to pass through them, rather disarming them of their adverse impacts.
He strips the fire of its burning power and the waters of their drowning powers. Then He says to us "When you go through the fire, it shall not burn you and when you go through the waters, it shall not drown you." Prayer does not always cancel the adversity. Sometimes, it rather disarms it of its adverse effects, allowing us to pass through it without the anticipated impact. If the cup wouldn't pass, it may be disarmed.
A prayer for today
Father, I thank you that you make me immune to adversity. I refuse to fear the waters that are after me and the fire which seeks to burn me. Because you are for me and with me, I know that I will be fine, and yes I am! Thank you.
Excerpt from A Day With Jesus
by Andrew Smith