When we checked online, the information indicated that a particular store at a particular location had banana pudding cups available. However, when we went to the store, there were none on the shelves and the staff verified that they did not have any in stock after all. Many of us have had the experience of a doctor or dentist appointment or a procedure booked that gets cancelled and rescheduled. Thinking that something is settled and certain, can lead to disappointment. We recognize that often what we have been told and assured of is not entirely reliable. These common circumstances contrast with the dependable reliability of our God. The promise from God, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) proves true over and over. In the desperate times of our lives when we are asking, “God where are You”? we can expect that God will be true to His word and will be right there with us. There may be times when even with our best intentions we are not there when people need us. Acknowledge with me that we can always turn to God and find Him to be the keeper of the commitment to never leave us or abandon us. Each week, on Wednesday, when we choose to pause and to pray together, God meets with us there. God never forgets this time or reschedules or doesn’t show up. Those are human tendencies. God instead is immediately attentive to our prayers and to our calling out to Him. This is true whenever we turn to God in prayer. Our faith in God is affirmed when we trust His solid promise, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” There is opportunity for us to experience God keeping His promise to meet with us and to hear and to answer our prayers. This opportunity is extended with our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow July 27th at 1 pm.
Thankful that God always keeps His divine appointments, Pastor Lola
Our promise keeping God, we love You and we do depend on You all the time. The assurance that You will never leave us or forsake us is what we hold on to by faith. We have experienced that this is true so we come to You again today and we trust You to reveal the truth of Your Presence with us right now. We call out to You and we expect You to answer. In the disappointments of broken human promises, we become frustrated and disillusioned. You our Holy God are entirely different. When You say that You will remain with us always, that is exactly what You do. Here we pause to consider the significance of You with us. This truth filled promise is what we need. We have seen evidence of You with us in our happy times and in our sad times. We have known You with us when we are afraid. You console us and give us courage when we have no courage left ourselves. Please fill our hearts with compassion for others who are struggling and need to receive the hope of You being a God Who will never leave or forsake. Please give us eyes that expectantly look for the fulfillment of Your promise to never leave or forsake us. God our faith in You grows stronger when we can tell you what we honestly think and feel and at the same time can know that none of that will cause You to leave us. You welcome us with all of the myriad of complexities that our lives have become. You welcome us with our inconsistencies and the desire we have to live for You but finding ourselves not always following through. Thank You for Your consistent pattern of always being available to us. Thank You for never giving up on us. We do not want to ever give up on You our LORD. Where else could we turn? You alone have the words of truth. With the dawning of each new day, we want to renew our trust in You. Where the hurts of life have wounded us, we pray for Your healing. Where the loneliness of life has consumed us, we pray for Your Companionship. Where we have longed for direction, we ask You to guide our way. We want You to be the One to bring meaning and purpose to our lives. Forgive us for trying to navigate our lives without You when we can actually rely on you so completely. Please restore hope for those who have lost sight of you. Enable Truth and Reconciliation for Indigenous People here in Canada. Please accompany on this painful journey and keep on showing us how You intend us to walk in a good way with each other. Our God, we need You to equip us for the steps we take every day that we pray will bring us closer and closer to You. Today we choose to search carefully for You and to look to keep in step with You and Your plans for us. We know that You will never leave or forsake us and we ask for grace that we will never leave or forsake You. Thank You God for knowing how much we need Your constant Presence and thank You for securing this for us. Thank You that You do not want to leave or forsake us. Out of the depths of Your love, You want to be with us always and You are. Praise You our dependable God! In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.