Vol II: #82 Old Promise, New Understanding
In the middle of a prayer last week, the Lord hit me with a promise- rather a reminder of a previous promise. Years ago the Lord promised “I’ll never leave you and I’ll always be with you.” I’ve thought this was odd as this is two ways to express the same idea. Why not leave it at “I’ll never leave you” or a simple “I’ll always be with you?” Regardless, it’s pretty nice to have the God of All Things promise to remain with me throughout my life. And 23 years after the promise was made, I testify to it being a promise kept. The oddity of the two in one promise still stands, however.
So back to last week in prayer.
I can’t remember what I said or how I got there, but the Lord responded with “You’re not going to lose me.” In that moment, I felt like my largest fear was yanked from the depth of my heart and exposed for what it is. I am afraid I’ll lose the Lord, that I’ve got to walk a tight rope to please Him and I can’t fall. I’m afraid that not matter what I do, I’ll fail. And in my failing, I will miss what the Lord has for me.
The truth I now know is I can’t lose the Lord. He’s not going anywhere. I can fail but I won’t lose. All those years ago, He knew what I needed and branded my heart with that promise. Now I know it’s a promise I can’t undo. I can’t make Him go away or forsake me. (I laugh at that last thought. No matter how much of an asshole I may be, He’s always with me.)
