Thinking of Christ as our anchor, we often picture storms raging. Tossed about in the chaos, we think of clinging to Him. Our hands burn, grasping, struggling, to hold on. But the wonderful truth: as we’re holding, we’re also held. Our anchor is bound inseparably to our soul.
Even when we let go, the anchor’s hold is still strong. We’re still in His grip when we lose our own.
Likewise, as lean into the hard and heavy, forging our way along a difficult path, we’re often reaching out to see if God is there with us.
But He, in fact, goes before us, with us, and behind us.
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” –Deuteronomy 31:8
“For the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” -Isaiah 52:12
If the Lord will never leave us, then indeed we are not alone. We are not forsaken by our anchor or abandoned by our guide along the unknown path. Our light will not go out nor will our protector fail to have the victory in the end.
It’s so easy…so easy. To look upon the goodness and the kindness of the Lord in wonder, and miss that the things He kindly does for us are not dependent on us.
This isn’t an excuse to live flippantly or to believe that the Lord will reward us for taking advantage of His grace. But it certainly is a comfort, and a shift in perspective we often need.
“Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”
Amy Carmichael once described that when the going was rough, the trouble “was His burden not mine. It was He who was asking me to share it with Him, not I who was asking Him to share it with me.”
Sweet relief.
The nature of our God is compassionate. Loving. Hopeful. Gracious. Merciful. Kind. Stable. Steady.
In all that you and I grasp at and cling to, just trying to hold on, we can know that we will not be abandoned or put to shame. We can be certain that we will never be lost, even when we lose hold.
We are held by one who does not let go, even when we do.
Praise the Lord!
(This is a song I sing along to regularly. Laura Story’s lyrics remind of the truth, comfort me, and bring me to praise. I hope it will you, too!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAAsWj-thsY
This post may also be shared on: #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup, #Intentionally Pursuing, #WomenWithIntention, #TellHiStory, #Thought-Provoking Thursday, #DanceWithJesus, #LLMLinkup, Faith-Filled Friday, Sitting Among Friends, and #SoulSurvivalLinkup.
Oh, friend! This was such an encouragement and comfort to me today! Thank you SO much for sharing what God lays upon your heart!
So blessed to be able to share the good news with you, Cheryl : )
So true! Makes me think of Exodus 34 when God gives his name to Moses – the God of compassion and mercy…
“The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.””
Exodus 34:6-7 NLT
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Amen! You’re sneaky- I didn’t know you were reading it! : P Thanks, friend, for the encouragement and verses!
so thankful that He never lets me go! next to you this morning in CA.
“To look upon the goodness and the kindness of the Lord in wonder, and miss that the things He kindly does for us are not dependent on us.” Wow….chewed on this one a bit. Yes, I must admit that I somehow place the load squarely on my own shoulders, the dependency, too. But it’s all about our Father. He’s the one it’s all dependent on. Good word. Visiting you today via #thoughtprovokingThursday.
We both wrote along similar lines today. Love that 🙂
Oh what beautiful encouragement here today. To know that he never lets go of us. I’m so happy to see that Deuteronomy verse. I was trying to think of it the other day and couldn’t find it! 🙂
I wrote a similar post last week called “Hold On”. – http://christintheclouds.blogspot.com/2016/08/hold-on.html
I agree, though that even when we let go, He is our anchor that will hold us through the difficult times. Thanks for sharing!