Holding On
There are times when I’m holding on to things that I should let go of. I have old habits that I need to bid farewell. I have things that have happened to me in the past that are really hard to let go of. I’m not a huge fan of change although it’s a part of my daily life. I read somewhere that the only thing that is constant in our world is change. I have determined that the Lord doesn’t change – He is consistent with His Love, His Grace & His Mercy. I need the Lord every hour of my life. I need Him when I’m awake or when I’m sleeping. I need His Protection and His Provision even when I’m not aware of His Presence.
Job is once again defending himself and his walk with God. He maintains his innocence to the chagrin of his friends. He starts out by saying that if he could just find God to present his case – he feels confident that the Lord would answer. Check this out…
8 ‘But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.
12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. (Job 23:8-12 NIV)
There is a confidence in Job that I haven’t seen in the previous rebuttals to his friends. He seems to have “turned a corner” and he’s committed to remaining faithful to God despite his friends counsel.
I think one of the toughest parts of suffering is not hearing from God when I want to hear from Him. I think suffering is scary because the suffering “screams so loud” and demands so much of my attention that I can’t settle my heart before the Lord. My physical or psychological suffering is so intense that it often drowns out His Presence. He has never left me. He has never ignored me.
by Beth Redman & Matt Redman
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
I’m so thankful that He holds on to me even when I’m so weak that I can’t seem to hold on to Him. His Grace is like that. He loved me first. He never gives up and He never lets go of me.
Pressing On!
Dwayne