by Pastor Nyla Henry
******
Where do we get the idea that God abandons His people?
When we don’t please Him, why do we think He will drop us like a hot potato?
Have we made Him in our image?
A story in the Old Testament frames a clear response to such questions.
The Israelites had committed a great sin by rejecting God and insisting on having a king to reign over them like the surrounding nations.
Through His prophet, God showed His power in thunder and rain that brought fear on the people, but God did not abandon them.
The prophet reassured them: “You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.”
“Y-E-T” – three letters on which the whole message pivots, and which lead us to another revealing declaration, “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.”
Have you ever messed up royally?
Have you ever thought that God had abandoned you?
Have you ever felt like giving up?
Maybe that’s where you are today, but God gives us hope.
No matter what we’ve done, His “yet” encourages us: don’t give up; keep following the Lord with all your heart; He will not abandon you, because His name is at stake, and because He is pleased and proud that you are His.
God’s “yet” is a pivot to keep in our hearts and our minds for the next rainy and thunderous day.
*******
Pastor Nyla Henry
Fruitvale Christian Fellowship
Blog: nakedkernels.wordpress.com
