Never will I leave you

Jerry Bridges

We all struggle with difficult circumstances, with adversity and pain. Often it is for a short time but for some of us it can last for months or years. I have found Jerry Bridges' book Trusting God a wonderful and insightful encouragement for these times. I'll be posting some of the best he has to share in the coming weeks but one portion was so striking that I want to share it today. From his chapter, Choosing to Trust God:

We must lay hold of some of the great promises of His constant care for us. One such promise we will do well to store up in our hearts is Hebrews 13:5: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." The Puritan preacher Thomas Lye remarked that in this passage the Greek has five negatives and my thus be rendered, "I will not, not leave thee; neither will I not, not forsake thee." Five times God emphasized to us that He will not forsake us. He wants us to firmly grasp the truth that whatever circumstances may indicate, we must believe, on the basis of His promise that He has not forsaken us or left us to the mercy of those circumstances.

Let us praise God for His infinite wisdom and watchful care in our lives.