Never Will I Leave You
I woke up just before 4 a.m. this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I started thinking and realized it was the fifth of the month, and we not only don’t have the rent, but all the other bills are so overdue—cutoffs from our cable, cell phones, car insurance, and more feel imminent… from my human and worldly perspective. My thoughts got caught up in all of it, and while I tried to pray, the enemy was hard at work, planting fear and doubt again.
Tom got up early too, so I let him know I was awake. When he asked why, I told him about the worries on my mind. He got back into bed, prayed with me, rebuked Satan, and spoke truth over me—God’s faithfulness and love. That was so powerful. After that, I stopped thinking about myself and started praying for others, beginning with LJ, since tomorrow marks one month since P’s death. The Lord continued bringing people to mind, and I spent another hour praying before I finally fell back to sleep. It was a really good time with Him.
This morning, Tom left Oswald’s devotional on my desk:
June 5, 2008 – God’s Assurance
“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?’” —Hebrews 13:5-6
My assurance is to be built upon God’s assurance to me. God says, “I will never leave you,” so that I may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.” This doesn’t mean I won’t be tempted to fear, but I must remember God’s promise. Fear fades when we listen to His voice. The only way to remove fear from our lives is to anchor ourselves in God’s truth.
Are you listening to God first, or speaking first and trying to fit His words into your situation after? Take hold of the Father’s assurance. Say with courage, “I will not fear,” no matter what evil or trial comes. Even when we feel like grasshoppers facing giants, God reminds us, “I will never forsake you.” Let that be our song—His assurance, our courage.
Thank you, Jesus, that You are our helper and that You will never leave us or forsake us! You are faithful, even when we are not.
Today’s Scripture reading was Psalm 33, and it brought more encouragement and truth about who God is:
“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”
AMEN!!
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