The Lord will not cast off His people, nor will He forsake His inheritance. But judgment will return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. (Psalm 94:14-15)
In the previous devotion, we highlighted the fact that those who have committed themselves to serve God will suffer. As Messiah said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). It would seem that there is no way around it — suffering for the cause of righteousness is a certainty. However as He also said, we are not to be disheartened by this fact because He has overcome the world and its suffering. In other words, He has provided the way whereby we, empowered by His Word and Spirit, might also overcome all things pertaining to this world. If we continue to be faithful, this victory is the assured outcome.
Still, presently we are compelled to endure and sometimes the situations we face cause us to feel as if we are doing it alone — at least I have felt that way from time to time. We should remember, though, that feelings don’t always reflect reality. As the psalmist reminds us, the Lord will never cast off or abandon His people, even if it feels like that is exactly what has happened. Casting off means a violent act of rejection — a notion that flies in the face of everything He has promised His people. He doesn’t want to cast us away, He wants to draw us closer which is why, when necessary, He will chasten us as sons and daughters.
Even if it feels like He has abandoned us to be devoured by the enemy and the tribulations of this world, we must remember that He never forsakes His inheritance — His children. We have the promise, given to us by the Messiah, that He would be with us always “even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). So let us conclude that, in spite of our feelings, the reality is that He has never left us but is closely observing all that we are going through. If He is allowing difficulty and suffering, then He is obviously administering needed correction, or as the psalmist called it, judgment. However, this judgment is not intended to destroy but to provoke the upright in heart to pursue righteousness and a closer walk with Him.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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