“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He [is] the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
[Deu 31:6 NKJV]
God forsaken. A phrase I hear often but never really put much thought to until today.
During a weekly prayer call with a dear friend the phrase “God forsaken” came up. We were talking about our nation and how evil is prominent now in every aspect of it. What immediately came to my mind is that our nation is not God forsaken. Rather, we forsook God.
You see, God has promised throughout time – nations and generations – that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is a loving God. He gives all of us as much opportunity as possible to find Him, to remain to true Him and return to Him if we lose our way.
“And the LORD, He [is] the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
[Deu 31:8 NKJV]
However, He is a jealous God. He isn’t jealous in a sinful way, like when we are jealous from greed. God created us and when we choose to worship something other than Him it sparks anger because He told us not to worship anything other than Him. He is our creator and He deserves our full, undivided, devoted attention.
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth [generations] of those who hate Me,
[Deu 5:9 NKJV]
In Jeremiah 23 we read how God warns about false prophets and a nation that has turned from Him and to perverse behavior. The description is reminiscent of what we see today. We have seen not just our nation forsake God but the church is also full of corruption.
“For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness,” says the LORD.
[Jer 23:11 NKJV]
The people then had turned from God, they forsook Him. So, God forsake them.
‘therefore behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and [will cast you] out of My presence.
[Jer 23:39 NKJV]
This pattern is shown more than once in the Bible. When a nation, a people, forsake God – God will forsake them.
And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD [is] with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
[2Ch 15:2 NKJV]
Throughout the study of history we can see what happens when nations and people choose to turn to their own pleasures and take God out of the picture. God promised He wouldn’t forsake us, but when we choose to set Him aside He will, at some point, leave us to our choices and the consequences of those choices. As long as we remain in Him then He remains with us.
[Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
[Heb 13:5 NKJV]
God loves us. He will not forsake us. We need to be mindful, though, that we do not forsake Him and His truth. God will not compete for our attention.
Dear Jesus,
God is the creator of all and deserves our utmost attention. He deserves our love and obedience. Our human nature is to desire to go our own way and do as we please. Help us remember that that isn’t our purpose. Help us remember that our purpose is to worship God and share the gospel of your life, death, resurrection and hope of eternal life with you. There is so much turmoil in our nation and world right now. The spirit of fear has permeated even the church. Help us stand strong in our faith in you. Give us the courage to stand strong even thought the nation has forsaken you. Lord, we know you have not forsaken those who still seek you and want to do your will. We thank you for that. Guard our hearts and our minds in these days. You alone deserve our worship.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
| God Is It True (Trust Me) – Stephen Curtis Chapman Help Is On The Way – Michael W. Smith |
