Time after time
…And when they cried out to You again, You heard from heaven,
and in Your compassion You delivered them time after time.
— Nehemiah 9:28
This life is a challenge, isn’t it? There are crazy dips in the landscape where I might turn my ankle if I’m not careful. There are stretches under the blazing sun of pressure that I seem to barely make it through. There are gentle hills that exhilarate and give me inspiration when I need it most. There are quiet paths that surprise me and guide me through wildernesses I would otherwise be lost in. The whole thing bewilders me, and I have come to the point of knowing in that very innermost place that I can’t do it without the Lord. But I also know that holding His hand makes everything beautiful, somehow.
And while the past doesn’t hold any power over us, I have learned it can spur us on to the higher ground when we are discouraged. We need to remember what has happened sometimes in order to believe in what is to come. I’ll tell you one thing, I have been a tough customer for the Lord at times. I have been demanding and I have pitched my adult fits. I have held onto bitterness. I have given up trying. But in all of that scoffing and skepticism, He only held out grace to me. I know that is how He has won my heart. All I have to do is look back at the trail I’m leaving behind to see His footprints wound in and out and over and under it all.
You see, although He has given me freedom in my choices, my Jesus has also faithfully accompanied me every step of the way. He has watched me with vigilant eyes, waiting for the moment I would turn to Him. He has lighted the darkest corners and carried me over the chasms I would have fallen into. He has allowed my foot to tread through the muck and mire, but He has picked me up and wiped me off when I came to the end of my rebellion. He has allowed me to spin my wheels, sweating the small stuff, but when I was ready He has empowered me to press on toward the true goal. He has been my faithful friend, my mighty warrior, my ever-present help, and my shield of protection and He has made this whole life an amazing journey. In fact, I believe knowing Him is all it’s about anyway, and looking ahead I know there will be so much more to learn.
Where have you walked with Him, friend? What are the things you faced together? What blessed moments did you catch a glimpse of His face, His hand, His feet? Praise Him today for what He has done and the progress you have made because of Him alone. And rest assured that He will be there through this next mile too, and the next, into the sweet eternity we will spend together in the time after time is no more.
