Never Abandoned

“How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation and worship the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of His people.” (Psalm 116:12-14 CSB)

The God of creation is faithful and compassionate toward all He has made. He has demonstrated His love time and again, and most especially on the cross of Calvary. Each breath we draw is a gift from Him. He brings good to our lives, even when it may not seem that way.

Sometimes God allows His children to walk through dark valleys. Death, torment, trouble, and sorrow may come into our lives rather unexpectedly. Such awful distress can lead us to wonder where God is and why He has allowed such grief to come our way. It seems that we are capable of suddenly forgetting our history with the Lord when such anguish overwhelms us. And yet, we instinctively turn to Him. That is because we know that He is gracious, righteous, and compassionate.

God does not abandon us when we walk through a bleak valley. He has not moved away. Ultimately, we return to the realization that, in fact, God has truly been good to us. We reflect on our lives and realize that He has actually blessed us beyond belief. And we wonder, with the psalmist, how we could ever repay God for all the good He has done for us.

In reality we know that we can never repay God, but we can respond in ways that bless Him. We can take up the “cup of salvation.” Salvation is essentially a personal relationship with the Lord, and taking up that cup means to engage in fellowship with our Creator. That involves and leads us to worship, and genuine worship leads us further still into a deeper walk with Him so that we can carry out the commitments we have made to Him.

God has never abandoned us. And He never will.

Father, We thank You for Your loving-kindness toward us. Thank You for the commitment You have made to us as Your covenant people. Help us today and each day to simply walk with You. Amen.