Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
The Israelites were in fear as they embrace their new life of freedom. They were walking away from everything familiar, everything they had known for over 300 years. It was not a good life for them as they were enslaved by the Egyptians but they knew how to survive, they knew where to find food, they knew which slave masters were lenient and they knew Egypt. This familiar became their point of reference for the next 40 years and all new experiences were filtered through their life in Egypt. It was hard to embrace the new as thy held on to the old.
God did everything to show them that although the unknown was scary HE would always be with them. They were facing kings and their armies, their lives were threatened and fear ruled their hearts. The Lord God made the only promise that was needed. He told them not to be afraid because he would always be with them. He would never leave them or forsake them.
Jesus made this same promise to the disciples when he was leaving. ' I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you ; I am with you always, even to the end of the world'. The writer of Hebrews repeated this promise of God as he encouraged the believers to be faithful, 'I will never leave you or forsake you'. Hebrews 13:5
What timely words for us today as we embrace the new year with its struggles and challenges. Let these words be our anchor, security and comfort. GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US OR FORSAKE US!
No comments:
Post a Comment