Never Will I Leave You
I went over to the church to print off the bulletin. The parking lot had been freshly plowed and so it was nice to drive on. I went to the back door, took out my key and discovered that the lock was frozen. I could only get my key halfway in. I decided to walk around to the side door. Within my first few steps, I slipped and almost fell. I took a couple more steps and almost fell again. This time I pulled out my phone and called my wife. I wanted to make sure that she knew what was going on. If I did fall, I wanted someone to know about it. Thank God I made it safely into the building, but it reminded me how wonderful it is to hear God say, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.” That passage is found in Hebrews 13:5-6, “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.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” It is not an idle comment, but aimed at those that walk by faith. We don’t need to covet the things of the world because God is enough. With God in control, what do I have to fear? I had to call my wife to let her know my situation and concern. With God, He knows before we even know enough to be concerned. The most comforting thought is that He knows what is going to happen before I ever considered it. The bad news is that He knows what is going to happen before I ever considered it. Since He knows me and still loves me, in spite of my sin, why do I try to hide it from Him. We are called to confess our sins that He might cleanse us from all unrighteousness. There are too many people that are carrying burdens that God desires to free them from. He doesn’t walk with us because He needs us, but we walk with Him because we need Him. Like Adam and Eve, we need to stop hiding from God. When God asked Adam if He had eaten of the tree that He had told him not to eat from, why didn’t Adam just hang his head low and say, “Yes. I am so sorry! Will you forgive me?” Sin would still enter the world, but we would likely have been in a much better place with God. What burden or guilt are you carrying? It is time to let go and let God. There is nothing God cannot accomplish in you. Father, help us all to understand that we are not in competition with others to be good enough, but to let You renew us today. Amen