Hebrews 6:13-20
When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.
We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Nearly 35 years ago, Greg and I were living north of Russellville, Arkansas, in a rural area known as Linker Mountain. I had taken up jogging, and I would go for my daily run in the evenings after work. My route was along the road in front of our house… a seldom-traveled stretch that climbed up the “mountain” and looped around. I scaled a couple of pretty steep stretches before turning around and descending. It was a really good workout!
One evening I got a somewhat late start, and darkness began to settle in as I neared my last peak. A car came along and passed me… then the driver stopped and began to back up toward me. I am sure that this person probably wanted to ask if I was okay, but it really spooked me…and I just froze. I wanted to yell… tried to yell…but nothing came out of my mouth. And then I began to run… no, SPRINT… toward home. In my mind, I was running for my very life toward the safety and sanctuary of our house… and Greg.
The people in the car didn’t know where I lived. They didn’t know that I had someone waiting for me inside one of the handful of homes scattered along that road. But I knew that I could run straight through the door of our house to the shelter of a husband who would protect me! As I ran away from the car, the driver changed course and headed on up the hill and away from me… and ultimately, all was well.
I should have been a little better prepared. Because I was so close to home, I was overly confident. This was before cell phones were popular. I should have had a whistle or some other security devise with me – at least a flashlight, maybe. I trusted the safety and security of my home and Greg… but at the exact instant this happened, neither were within reach!
I’m sure I overreacted, but I was truly shaken. And if you are honest, there have been at least a few times when you have experienced something that shook you… rattled your cage… knocked you off balance. Where did you turn? Who did you trust? Even today, do you have an unbreakable spiritual lifeline with God? Do you have His promised hope and the assurance that gives you every reason to run for your very life toward God, grab Him with both hands and never let go? Are you truly prepared for whatever life throws your way?
This is not just idle talk. A lot of people SAY they have this kind of relationship with God… an unbreakable hope in His promises. But talk is cheap and doesn’t get you very far in a faith walk. You have to have some meat and muscle behind it. You have to know that you know that you KNOW that God’s promises concerning your life… and His power and authority over it… are rock-solid and above reproach! Sadly, many won’t truly know this until they are tested in some way… and for some of us, this can be a painful and costly lesson.
I hope you are not one of those who has to “learn by example.” I pray that you can truly grasp the integrity and power of God’s promises… that you can sincerely and wholeheartedly put your hope and trust in Him NOW… once and for all… that you are already hanging on with both hands to God and will never let Him go… that you are truly prepared for whatever “life” and the devil try to toss in your direction. Otherwise, you are pretty well running uphill in the dark… and subject to whatever potential troubles may come along.
It doesn’t have to be this way. God cannot lie. He has vowed to protect us… and to bless us. Since God does not lie, He cannot break these vows. There is no other about whom you can truly say the same. So what are you waiting for? Grab hold of God with both hands and NEVER EVER let Him go. Cling to His spiritual lifeline and operate each and every day in the hope of His love and care.
©2013 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment