God Has Not Forsaken Us

I was thinking back over a conversation I had recently with a friend who said “God has taken his hand off of us…off of this country.”

As bad as things have been in the past and as bad as things seem to be now, that is simply not biblically true. God has not taken His hand off of us. God has not forsaken us— for he has promised that He will never forsake us or leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5).

To say that we live in troubled times is an understatement— and it’s not the first time that lament has been expressed. The biblical fact of the matter is that we are promised “trouble” as Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble…” (John 16:33). We have trouble because this world is a troubled place. It’s full of trouble as a direct result of man’s rebellion against God (Genesis 3); and everything has been troubled and falling apart since that moment.

But then Jesus adds the big punctuation mark: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” TAKE HEART— take courage, be of good cheer, for Jesus has overcome (past tense) the world! He is the proverbial Bridge prevailing over the troubled water of this world.

By God’s restraining grace, that trouble only goes so far as God allows, because He has given the trouble-maker, Satan, only a certain length of leash. In other words— things could be a whole lot worse.

I love this quote from Jonathan Edwards:

“God’s work in the restraint that he exercises over a wicked world, is a glorious work. God’s holding the reins upon the corruptions of a wicked world, and setting hounds to their wickedness, is a more glorious work, than his ruling the raging of the sea, and setting bounds to its proud waves, and saying, Hitherto shall thou come, and no further.”

Today, tomorrow and every single day— look not at the troubles of this world; look to the One who has overcome them, and put your trust in his promise that a trouble-free eternity is yours, by God’s grace through faith in His Son Jesus!

Will you be there?

I love y’all!

xo – P♥️