"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."" Hebrews 13:5 How many times do I need to hear this!?! How often do I need the Lord of my life to remind me that He is with me and I have no need to fear! There is no other way to be strong and courageous! There is no other foot to stand on! I cannot be strong and courageous alone, not truly. I can try, but my strength and my knowledge and my determination eventually hit a wall bigger than I am that I cannot surmount. And as I get older and slower and wiser and less brash and arrogant than I was in my youth, I hit that wall of 'beyond me and bigger than me' a lot quicker than I ever realized before. Humanity is resilient, strong and fortuitous. The human spirit recovers, survives and searches for hope on the horizon even and especially when there is no hope to be found in the present. I know I have been strong, physically, mentally and emotionally in all arrogance, thinking I can do all the things on my own and I needed nobody and I could and would conquer by my own efforts and hand. I have now reached a place that I cannot breathe or function or exist without the constant presence and hand of god upholding me, nor do I want to. I need reminding, when I am frail and broken and I start searching for a way out, that I am exactly where I am for God's glory through my life. I don't need a way out, I need to learn to sit and rely on Him. I need to learn to let go because He has it all. I need to truly and absolutely trust Him. The God of the Universe, amazing, powerful, mighty, holy, beautiful and pure is with me, in me and for me! That is mind blowing. I don't deserve a second of His thoughts or blessings, and yet I have Him in His fullness. Mind blowing! When we truly sit and soak in the things the LORD has given us, in Himself, there is nothing else to desire, nothing else to fear. He WILL NEVER LEAVE ME! That means even when I don't deserve him, even when I fail him, even when I runaway and get scarred and act a fool, HE WILL NEVER LEAVE ME. There is nothing I can do or say to lose or undo His favor over me and presence with me. HE WILL NEVER FORSAKE ME! This means even when I scream "leave me alone in my misery!" "Go away, I don't need you or anybody!" He holds me in the palm of his hand because He is faithful. I am his. HE WILL NEVER FORSAKE ME! He will not choose another over me, get sick of me, think or feel or believe I am crazy or not enough and trade me in or throw me away. HE is NOT man! He does not give like man gives with conditions and changes and selfishness. He gives like a holy, holy, holy other God that is beyond us in every way and yet relates to us intimately. He loves me. HE LOVES ME! He is not going to ever leave me nor forsake me. HE is True. HE is Real. HE is Love, Real, True abundant, eternal Love. He goes before me to make the way straight and the path smooth. HE leads me to still waters and lush pastures because I am His and He loves me. Dear Heavenly Father, Please keep reminding my feeble frame that I am yours. I am truly and wholly loved by you. I am not abandoned or alone. You ! You! of all beings and things and people--YOU are WITH me! YOU will NEVER leave me NOR forsake me! Thank you for loving me. Thank you for making me yours. Thank you for keeping your promises. Thank you for ALWAYS being with me and for me. Thank you for being my Rock and my Fortress. You deserve all praise and glory forever and ever amen! In Jesus' name, Amen
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About MeI want to glorify God with my life and use my gifts for His Name's sake. This blog is an effort therein. Archives
October 2024
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