God is with you always!

   “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land I am giving to them---the children of Israel….. ‘No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:1-2,5)

   Are you going through a rough patch in your life right now? If you are, there are many opportunities to forget that, if you belong to Jesus, He is with you every step of the way. If you are in pain emotionally, physically, spiritually, or financially you can be assured that our Savior is walking at your side. Paul David Trip, in his excellent book “Suffering” does a great job of reminding us just how faithful our Lord is when we lean on Him, and not our own strength, to get us through the trial we are facing. 

    “’I will not leave you or forsake you.’ This promise found in Joshua 1:5 is given numerous times in Scripture. Every time one of God’s children, or the whole community of God’s children faced something hard, new, difficult, or overwhelming, God greeted them with this promise. He never called them to task, sent them to a destination, or led them into difficulty and then abandoned them. No matter how hard the situation or inadequate their response, God was with them and for them. The declaration that he would never leave them is a significant reminder and protection for everyone who suffers. 

   First, these words are a humbling reminder that God remains faithful to us no matter what, not because of what is in us, but because of what is in Him. If the consistency of my prayer or the faithfulness of my worship of the constancy of my of my obedience were what bought me His continued presence, He would have forsaken me a long time ago. I know that is true of me, and I’m sure it’s true of you, that in moments of travail, I often fall way below God’s standard. Sometimes confusion interrupts my prayer, or wonderment about what God is doing gets in the way of heartfelt worship. Sometimes I listen too much to the lies of the Enemy or feel too weak to do what God has commanded. Sometimes my heart is filled with more envy than gratitude, and my mouth speaks more complaint then praise. Sometimes I would rather have relief from pain than the sweetness of His presence. Sometimes I’m just mad that God has let such a hard thing enter my door. There are moments when I don’t want to read His Word or hear songs of His goodness. Sometimes in my travail, I avoid the fellowship of His people. Sometimes I take my pain out on those around me.

  ……Suffering brings you and me to the end of ourselves. It exposes and confronts us. It makes it harder and harder to hold on to the delusion of our righteousness. This is why it is so important to remember that God is faithful to us, not because we are righteous, but because He is. He continues to love us, not because we perfectly love Him, but because His love for us remains perfect. He remains near, not  because we’ve never though of running away, but because He would never turn His back on the promises He has made to us. You didn’t earn His faithful presence by your obedience, and your disobedience won’t take it away. The central message of Scripture is that God is with us forever because of one thing: HIS GRACE! 

    In your suffering, with so many things to worry about, you don’t have to waste your spiritual and emotional energy on the fear that you will be forsaken by the One who has the power to do for you what no one else can. He is in you, He is with you, He is for you, and He will never leave…..

    But in all the emotional and spiritual ups and downs, on the good days and the bad days, when you fight or succumb, one thing is sure. Your Lord is with you, and there is no struggle without or war within that will ever drive Him away. And His presence guarantees that in your suffering, you will have everything you need.”

  (Paul David Tripp, “Suffering,” Pages154-157) 

   You are not alone. If you are a child of God, if you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, then there is nothing you can do to lose the love of God, or to cause Him to abandon you in your time of need and suffering. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

   PRAY

1.    Lord thank you for being the Faithful One, even when I am not; the Strong One when I am not; and the Loving One when I am not.

2.    Fill me with You Spirit today that I might remember just how faithful and dependable You have shown Yourself to be in my past and that You will be the same in the future.

3.    Help me to live this day with Your strength, Your power, and with Your love, so that I can handle another day of this suffering that You are walking through with me.