By: Elizabeth Haarberg

God Says

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

The title of this blog may be deceiving. I’m not questioning our belief in God, but rather asking do we believe what Jesus says and if the Holy Spirit is always for us? When times are easy, I think most people feel like they are experiencing God’s favor, but what about when times get hard? So many people, including myself, at times wonder if God has left them or whether they can trust Jesus. Where did God go?

“I will never leave you, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life. So, we can say with great confidence: I know the Lord is for me.”
Hebrews 13:5-6 The Passion Translation

When things get hard in life, the challenge is to trust that God is not gone, even if we don’t hear or feel God’s presence.

“Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
Psalm 139:7-10 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

We can’t escape God because Earth was created by God; we are only breathing because of the gift God gives us, and the only thing keeping us from experiencing constant evil is God. If we can’t escape God, then we also know that God never leaves us.

God’s presence is as close as our breath, Jesus is a constant presence, and the Holy Spirit fills up our bodies to carry us throughout this life. Stop for a moment, in the good and bad, to reconnect with the living water that is always offered; just drink it in. God’s got an amazing future for all of us.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 English Standard Version

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