Assurance

"In the wilderness where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son," Deuteronomy 1:31.

We have seen such places, indeed, where our God bore us. He carried us, a dad shouldering his kid. In retrospective we recognize God at work, leading the way. Not that it always felt that way at the time. Sometimes it felt as though abandoned, left to the barriers of impossible seas to cross, to the threat of armed chariots in hot pursuit, to the vagaries of waterless wilderness ahead. And, sometimes, it did (and does yet) feel as though carried. A sense of protection, guidance, strength, and even of peace overwhelms the soul as we move into danger. This latter sense usually happens only after knees have touched the earth for a while. After prayer. After eyes open to see what can't be seen: God secures a place to pitch our tents, he gives us fire in the night, he paves the way for safe passage, he leads with assurance through the fog. But more than that, it happens only after hearts open to trust God never to send us ahead of him. Jesus has already pioneered that path.

Remember God worked in the past; believe that God works now. Pray thanksgivings. Today, if possible: Share with an anxious brother or sister the blessed assurance that Jesus is theirs, a foretaste of divine glory. Oh, yes!