by Pastor Douglas Brauner

In Jesus, God Will Not Abandon Us

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

“For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage.” 
Psalm 94:14 English Standard Version

I live close to a city park with a nice playground. Families gather here on sunny days. Children bike on their bikes, scoot on their scooters, and skate on their skateboards. They swing high on the swings and slide on the slides.

In the fun and excitement, they often forget their stuff at the playground. Bicycles are left under a pine tree. Helmets are abandoned on the grass. Coats are let hanging on a climbing wall.  These treasures often stay there for days, abandoned by their owner.

You and I might identify with this coat. We feel abandoned.

We feel abandoned by our friends. Promises were made and forgotten.

We feel abandoned by our loved ones. Again, promises were made and forgotten.

We feel abandoned by God. As I have written before, there are times when God seems silent, when it feels like he has abandoned us to the horrors of living in a sin-filled world. The people of Israel felt abandoned by God. The first seven verses of this psalm are gut-wrenchingly painful. The wicked are winning the day against God’s people.

However, the psalmist knows another reality;

“He who planted the ear, does he not hear? he who formed the eye, does he not see?”
Psalm 94:9 ESV

God does hear. God does see. God will not abandon his people. The death and resurrection of Jesus are our insurance that God will never abandon us. That doesn’t mean there will not be times when it feel like he has, when it feels like he has left us in the park. However, unlike people, God is true to his promises. And all the promises of God find their yes in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado