Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Never forsaken, never alone.”
Our Bible verse for today: “Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “You will never enter into any situation where God is not already there.”
Going to strange places, meeting new people, facing an uncertain future – those are all examples of situations which can cause us anxiety and fear. Recently I’ve been visiting with three different young men, in three different jails. Each of them were raised in Christian homes, each of them strayed from the Lord and ended up involved in things they shouldn’t have been, and each of them is now potentially facing an extended period of incarceration. Their immediate futures are uncertain and scary.
I know several other Christians who are currently unemployed and in desperate need of a job. Every day they find themselves walking into new offices and job sites, interacting with people they don’t know but who have hiring authority, and trying to make a good enough impression on those strategic people to convince them to hire them. There are others whose marriages are on the brink of failing; others have financial problems and are close to bankruptcy; some have wayward children addicted to drugs or engaged in other high risk lifestyles.
In the book of Deuteronomy Moses was preparing the nation of Israel to finally cross over the Jordan River and take possession of the Promised Land. The people were worried. It was a land filled with giants and strong armies, fortified cities and strange geography, new cultures with strange customs. But what did Moses tell them? Be strong and courageous … The Lord your God goes with you … He will not leave you or forsake you.”
When the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land they discovered that God was already there waiting for them. He had gone ahead of them and prepared the way. And, He was prepared to fight the battle for them. It’s true that they would still have to do their part – they would still have to put one foot in front of the other, cover the distance, storm the ramparts, engage in the fight, but the outcome was predetermined. God had promised victory.
Whatever difficult situations you are facing, whatever giants are staring at you from across the horizon, know that God has gone before you and He will already be there when you get there. You will never walk into any situation where God is not already there. This is a wonderful and powerful truth: “God will never leave you, He will never forsake you.”
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 