The Only Way that I Survived
The year is just about over! And I want to close out this year's devotions using the lyrics of a song I wrote at the end of last year. It begins like this:
Another year has come and gone
I can't believe it's through
The only way that I survived
was holding onto You
There were laughs and there were tears
there were smiles and frowns
In the end Lord, You alone
helped me through the ups and downs
I was trying to sound like a Disney-style ballad, which I'm sure you can hear - sentimental and a bit soppy even. But the words, the words are the important thing!
Treasuring the Highs and Lows
Maybe you can relate to the laughs and tears, and the ups and downs, I was talking about there. Nobody amongst us had a perfect year, I know. For all of us there were good and bad moments. Looking back, I am grateful for both - the good moments were treasures to keep, and the bad moments were growing opportunities.
The only way I survived was holding onto God! Because through it all, He remained constant.
What did you hold onto this year? Money? Possessions? Relationships? Knowledge? Success? These things are not bad in themselves, but there's not much grip on them! You try hold onto them, and they just slip through your fingers!
God's Sustaining Hand
But holding onto God is different. I like how Jesus says "My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:27-28) And the Psalms say this: "You make Your saving help my shield, and Your right hand sustains me; Your help has made me great." (Psalm 18:35) Wonderful! As we held onto God this year, He held to us, and His hand sustained us through it all.
Take a moment to look back on the ups and downs of the year, would you? Praise Him for the ups, thank Him for the help through the downs. And marvel at the fact that as you hung onto Him, He held onto you.
Peter's repeated failures didn't disqualify him from Jesus' love or mission - his foundation of faith proved stronger than all his flaws. Come back to Jesus today, no matter how far you've strayed.