God’s Uncompromising Promise

I will never leave or forsake you

It’s been months since I last wrote a post on this blog; much has happened during that time. I was ill for a while, then I injured my back, and I recently traveled to Croatia for six weeks. It’s a beautiful country and everyone I met treated me so kind. Some of my family, friends, and those of you I call my virtual friends asked about this blog (I really appreciate those of you who wrote me). It’s encouraging to know that others read this blog; it’s definitely blessed my life to share my thoughts about living a Christ-centered life. I hope the Lord continues to inspire me to pen my thoughts; I also hope you continue to read and find something that encourages, strengthens you spiritually, and inspires you in your faith walk with Christ. "...be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NIV) Have you ever felt so all alone that you wondered: Does God hear my prayers? Does God even care about me? I can remember having those thoughts and I remember how much of a struggle it was to trust God when everything in my life said, Give up! What does a person do when things seem so hopeless? What does a person do when you are in a vast, endless ocean with no land in sight, and the only thing keeping you afloat is a small piece of wood? You cling to that wood with a sense of desperation, not even knowing if you can stay afloat. In those times, I felt there was only one option available to me and that was continue to pray…even though I had no idea what God would do, even when I had no discernible awareness of the Lord’s presence, I still believed he would bring about a change because He said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. That promise kept me from drowning.” After my marriage ended, I prayed that God would call me from this earth. I felt ready and willing. I said, I’ve lived my life Lord, I have no regrets, and I’m ready to go. I wanted to simply close my eyes and never have to wake up again. I thought, If I don’t wake up tomorrow, all would be well; I’d be in heaven praising God. However, the next morning I'd awake somewhat disappointed that I was still here. My conversations with the Lord went something like this: OK Lord, I'm still here so obviously You didn't hear me last night. Now I've got to face another day all by myself, so I could really use Your help to get me through this day. I realize now that I didn't really want to die, I simply wanted things in my life to have some order, I wanted peace, and an end to the chaos. I imagine the Lord got a kick out of me advising Him on what to do with me. The words were coming from my mouth, the Holy Spirit is there listening to me (rolling His eyes) and saying, “Seriously?” I'm glad the word of God says, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” (Romans 8:26, NIV) It's a good thing to have the Holy Spirit as a spiritual filter for my mouth, my mind, my life. This ritual went on every night and subsequent morning for several weeks. Finally one morning, I got out of bed and on my knees I began to confess that the Lord didn’t need my counsel regarding what He could do with my life, and when He should do it. I realized that God still had a purpose for me and it was time I stopped wanting to leave this world. Sometimes, we want to hear something truly special from the Lord, words meant just for us. We wait for the Lord to do something spectacular in our lives and we forget that:     Faith in Christ does not hang on spectacular events in     my life. Faith is my uncompromising belief that no     matter what occurs in my life; Christ is with me…     He will never leave or forsake me. Remember what King Nebuchadnezzar asked Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:14-15, NIV) Remember what they replied to King Nebuchadnezzar: “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18, NIV) What this says to me is that God doesn’t need to prove Himself to me by performing something miraculous. Even when no spectacular miracle occurs, I still need to trust Him with the end results; no matter the outcome! I can do that! How? Believing His promise to me is certain. No matter what happens, He will never leave me or forsake me. He makes that same promise to you!

A Note of Thanks: Once again, I want to say that I appreciate each of you who visit My Thought-filled Journey. Taking time out of your schedule to read a post on this blog is encouraging to me. Many of those who visit, will from time to time leave a comment. Whether a comment is left is not important. What is important, is that you came. I do hope you find encouragement and inspiration in these words. Please know I will pray with you regarding any circumstance you may be facing. Feel free to write me to say "Hello", request prayer, or share what God is doing in your life. I have not said it enough, but thank you for the light of Christ in your life which illuminates the way for us all.

Note: This post is linked to Spiritual Sundays (hosted by Charlotte).