I’m not. And I will never be…

forsaken.

Forsaken… like a bride abandoned at the altar… like Jane Eyre left standing in white, when she finds out her beloved Rochester is really married to someone else. Forsaken.

But– I will never be forsaken

by God.

By friends? Yes. Shall I show you the wounds? Jesus had them in the palms of his hands.
By enemies? Of course. To be expected. We don’t expect to be embraced by the enemy.
By family? Indeed. Battle scars, anyone? We’re hurt most by those who are the closest.
By acquaintances? It will happen. They aren’t so invested in the relationship.
By strangers? Of course. Strangers have no attachment to the relationship at all.

Has it happened to you… the forsaking, the being “left out”, the ignoring, the ugly words… and some hurtful, painful deeds of those who had called themselves by the sweet name of “friends”? I have read the honest, raw prose of many blog writers out there, of the many painful times of betrayal or hurt… and I know I am not the only one, and I am thankful for these others who are transparent and share the scars and the healings and the joys of knowing a good God… because sometimes that is all we have… sometimes, there is nothing else in this world but Him standing there alone, with arms wide open. He will not abandon His beloved!

What about Him– the one who walks on water and the one who controls the winds?

He promises –
and He keeps His promises.
He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And I know I can trust it to be true, I know it is true, I know that He cannot go back on His own word. Humans can.

But, God?

He honors His word.

It’s where I find shelter from it all. Under the wings of these promises. It’s where I find hope… under the word “never”

He will never, never ever....

Then my soul breathes, sings, finds a reason and a purpose and a joy. I find it there, the hope under His never… His Never Forsaking.

What joy, my friends! What joy!

You Are Never forsaken.
………..And here is {HOPE}

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Sharing with Laura at Playdates, L.L. Barkat at On, In and Around Mondays, Jen at Finding Heaven

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I’m thankful… counting innumerable gifts, on my way to 1,000 with Ann for Multitudes on Mondays:

944. Hearing the answer “yes” to a prayer!
945. That I’m “never forsaken”… such a beautiful gift, astounding grace, unwavering, unflinching love… like nothing else on earth.
946. A child who was not feeling well getting better
947. A fractured finger by one of the boys on its way to healing
948. Tenacity… diligence… that I observe in my kids
949. A new friend… how nice and easy she is to talk to and discuss things with.
950. Thankful that God resides and presides over all the affairs of men. He disposes kings.
951. A fairly successful bake sale fundraiser– a first for us to participate at this scale… and fun to do.
952. The privilege to vote.
953. Finding out someone in my SDG small group lives a couple of hours away. Who’d have thought?? So neat.
954. Reading two books recently. One, a fictional comedy about a woman who “dies”, goes to heaven, then comes back. And the other, a moving novel set in war-torn Afghanistan, about a friendship between two boys.
955. Thankful for gasoline to put in my car, so I can drive places.
956. A small victory of reconciliation… talked with a fairly new acquaintance recently — we started to rub against each other over ideas, but we worked it out very nicely, through prayer and talking. Lovely when it happens like that!
957. Funny cartoon pictures drawn by my son.
958. A hilarious book of silly inventions which had me laughing silly. Sometimes you just need to laugh, no?
959. Josh being welcomed on a nearby basketball team by the coach.
960. Watching a documentary about a Japanese man who has been making sushi all his life, who is now over 80 years old… such a tenacity and work ethic that to learn from. Fascinating look into this person’s life and also the culture in which he lives.
961. My mom’s pecan pie recipe. Sweet taste of home.
962. God’s comfort.
963. Trusting, knowing that if He closes one door, He’ll open another and it is for the good.
964. Sweet fellowship with a sweet group of ladies.
965. The not-so-distant hoot of an owl, calling out at night.

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