"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." (Psalm 37:25)
What a blessed confession! I am among all men most blessed!!! That is truly how my heart sings today.
As Christians our stories differ wildly. Some have led very peaceful, very serene lives, while others have walked on the wild side. That is the beauty of coming together and getting to know one another. I have friends who married their childhood sweethearts straight out of high school/college, been married their entire lives, had children, walked the straight and narrow, and have enjoyed the overwhelming blessings of God on their lives (shout out to Dan and Holly Dehner whom I love deeply and respect unfathomably). I have friends who have known since childhood the path they wanted to take in life, have done that, and God has richly blessed them and their families - down to their great-grandchildren (shout out to the Amsler and Wiseman families). Others have struggled - nay, rebelled - against the calling of God on their lives for years until finally one day they surrendered and yet have known the love and protection of God through it all (shout out to Franklin Graham). Still others have totally walked the wild side, and abandoned their upbringing and heritage, yet the calling of God on their lives has been so strong they returned to the God of their youth and now love Him deeper and with more passion than most (shout out to Alice Cooper).
Through it all God was and is there. As the old song says, "Waiting patiently in line." God watches over what (and who) is His, gently nudging us back into the fold, secretly providing for us along the way, wooing us in the night seasons, until like the Prodigal Son we come to our senses. Is this His perfect will? Of course not! Yet, He is faithful even when we are not. He loves us with a never-dying love until the very last minute.
Lest you think I'm one of those "everybody goes to heaven" guys, let me quickly state that this gentle, loving Savior, this merciful Father and protective Creator will surely one day cast all who reject Him into the lake of fire to be punished forever. He will have done all He can to win those souls - including taking the life of His One and only Son, Jesus Christ, to provide salvation. But for those who reject Him to the end, there will be no redemption available. No prayers for the dead, no candles, no rituals - NOTHING - will redeem their souls from hell. Their last breath of rebellion on this earth will be followed by their first breath of rebellion eternally in torment.
But thanks be to God you and I won't know the suffering of that torment, for we have chosen to follow Jesus. No turning back. I have, in looking back over my life, seen how He has guided me back onto the path untold numbers of times, protected me from dangers seen and unseen, and provided all I needed to make it to this point. At times that meant eating Ramen noodles, Cup-O-Soup, pancakes and brown gravy (yes, I did that), and even at one time living on the streets of Chicago for six weeks and eating out of trash cans with the other homeless people (that's a story for another time). Yet here I stand to testify to God's rich goodness and unspeakable mercy.
Today I challenge you to stop and think over your life. How has God protected you? How has He provided for you? What has He delivered you from? Take a few moments to say "Thank You" to Him. Echo with me these words of David in praise to God for His ever-present goodness.
Be blessed.
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