GOD DOESN’T GIVE UP ON YOU

When you go through difficult times in life you may question God.  You may question His whereabouts.  You may question His promises and faithfulness.  The good news is that He hasn’t left you alone in your trouble.  Notice what God said to Jeremiah when he told the people that God would discipline them for their selfish choices and rebellious attitudes:  “When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, ‘… What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the Lord our God?’  “Then you will give them the Lord’s reply: ‘It is because … you stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me.   So I will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been … “But the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors” (Jer.16:10-15 NLT).

This prophecy has now become history.  The people of Israel have returned to the land promised them by the Lord and have become a nation again.  What stands out to me is that God didn’t abandon His people; He disciplined them.  He never disowns His people.  Though He judges them they’re still His.  He keeps His promises and brings His people back in line with His sovereign will.  He restores them.

The Lord disciplines His children because He loves them, but He will never abandon them.  Hebrews 12:11-13 (NLT) reminds us of the results of His discipline:  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.  So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.  Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

When times get hard, whether the Lord is disciplining you or testing your faith, know that He hasn’t left you.  You’re still His, and He will restore you and your strength. 

In the middle of the trouble instead of stubbornly following your own desires and refusing to listen to God, tenaciously follow Jesus and refuse anything that keeps you from listening to Him.  In His timing He will restore you.