We all find ourselves feeling a bit down from time to time, which is simply a result of living as broken people in a broken world. Because of this truth, we need daily doses of eternal encouragement, which will lift us up when we are down.
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.
(Psalm 27:10)
I have never forgotten a story my mom told me when I was a teenager about her parents abandoning her and her brother on the steps of a police station. As hard as that truth was for me to understand back then, after having four children of my own, it is truly beyond my ability to comprehend. Yet we hear awful stories like this frequently; many of those stories do not have a happy ending.
How excruciating it must have been for Jochebed, the mother of Moses, to float her infant boy down the Nile river to escape the death sentence pronounced on all Hebrew baby boys by Pharaoh (Exodus 1:22). Yet God directed Jochebed’s makeshift ark into the hands of Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised the baby in the court of Pharaoh. Later God would use Moses as the deliverer of His people.
In Psalm 27:10 above, we see that David knew well that no matter what happens in every earthly relationship, even if there were fractures in relationship with those closest to him, his eternal relationship with God was unwavering and secure. Parents may abandon you, family may betray you, friends may forsake you, but the Lord will hold you close, regardless of the cost or circumstance.
Jesus said of those who were His:
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
(John 10:29)
What a comfort to know the One who is actually doing the holding! How many times I have crossed a busy street with one of my children’s hands clasped firmly in mine. To be sure, they were holding on to me, but I was the one who was truly doing the holding.
You see, being down is simply a part of life . . . part of being human! But no matter how down we may get, we are never out, because Omnipotence has a firm hold on us. When Jesus promised to never leave or forsake us, He meant what he said! Remember, He confirmed the truth of that statement with His own precious blood.
If you grew up in church, you probably heard in Sunday school that the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, went to the hill Golgotha, and there he looked at you and said clearly, “I love you this much!” He spread His arms wide to show you how much . . . and then those arms were nailed to the cross . . . and He died there, so that you and I would one day be raised up to meet Him in heaven.
You may be down, but you are never out.
So . . . how have you been feeling lately? Difficulties in your marriage? Rancor with your relatives? Problems in your parenting? Obstacles at the office? Friction with your friends? Regardless of the challenges you have faced, are currently facing, or will someday face, God has promised to hold you close, even if everyone else lets you go.
Now that is a truth worth holding on to!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 