Saturday, July 27, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

Don't Leave Me

Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord Himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will never leave you. He'll never desert you. So don't be afraid. Don't lose hope.

Our grandson will be three-years old in two months. He is a lot fun to be with, and we truly enjoy our time with him. However, when it is time for us to go home, he begins to sob and beg my husband and me to remain with him. With a trembling voice, he cries out, "Please don't leave me!"

Whenever he does this, my husband and I try to explain why we have to leave. Unfortunately, our experiences doing this have taught us that our explanations fall upon deaf ears. He desires our physical presence, and he refuses to accept anything else!

Just as our grandson doesn't want us to leave him, today's scripture references the turmoil that Joshua experienced when he realized that Moses had fulfilled his calling from God and would soon be departing to receive his Heavenly reward. Can you imagine the fear that threatened to consume Joshua's mind when faced with the overwhelming task of assuming the responsibility of leading multitudes of Israelites to the Promised Land?

In his role as Joshua's mentor, Moses understood the need to encourage Joshua. He tells Joshua four things: the Lord will go ahead of him, the Lord will never leave him, not to be afraid, and to hold on to hope. As I reflected on these words of encouragement intended for Joshua, I was reminded of 2 Timothy 3:16 "God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right." Moses' words were not only meant to encourage Joshua - they were also meant for US.

My challenge to you today is to grab hold to the truth that God is always with us. The Bible tells us that God is not a respecter of persons. He does not show favoritism or partiality. What He did for the Israelites by going ahead of them in a pillar of cloud in the day and with a pillar of fire at night, He will do for us.

Dear Lord, I am so grateful to you for your promise of never forsaking me. Knowing this brings such comfort to me ..... even in my darkest times. Your presence in my life is my source of joy!

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.