He Didn't Look The Other Way

God is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing) and omnipresent (everywhere present). He wants you to know He did not look the other way in the time of your greatest trial, whatever that might have been. He knew you "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined you to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved"(Ephesians 1:4). The season of my greatest trial was when, as a child of 9 or 10, my dad moved out. Even to think about it now creates a void in my life, a moment of betrayal, of confusion, of fear, of desire for the one who left, that has been with me ever since. I have been a Christian for nearly 46 years but I can still remember that feeling. What the Lord showed me this morning or caused me to understand is that this event explains why sometimes I find it hard to accept his steadfast love for me, his constant care and provision and concern--all the things a father is there to provide for his children. And he wants me to remember whenever I feel that way that he didn't look the other way when my father moved out, and he’s not looking the otehr way now. He is the Father of his children and he knows how to care for his children. His presence, his blessing, his comfort, are all part of his being our Father. He never took his eyes off of us. And this goes also for my friend whose father took his own life when she was 14, and my other friend whose father moved out as mine did. This is so common today, and it leaves us as children with such issues as difficulty trusting God, feelings of abandonment, feeling like we are a burden to others. There are many similar feelings that can overtake us at times, and when they do he wants us to remind ourselves that he didn't look the other way, and he won't look the other way now. He is always there. As I think I read somewhere recently, though God doesn't promise we won't have trials and tribulation, he has promised to always be with us. And we are never alone. Jesus said, "And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). And he said, "I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). So, just remember when those feelings come that God didn't look the other way. He never has looked the other way. He is the God who sees (Genesis 16:13). Our past is in a certain sense always with us because the events that shaped us continue to have their influence. But they are not stronger than God and they are no longer a prison that keeps us entangled in all kinds of chaos. If you have turned to the Lord, wanting to do his will, in repentance, surrendering all you are to his care and wanting to follow him and let him change you, he wants to help you become strong and courageous in his power and might. Without him we can do nothing, but with him, nothing will be impossible for you. We do have to cooperate with him and do what he is asking us to do. If we're not sure, we simply have to ask. Usually, what he's asking us to do is pretty normal, everyday things we have to do in our day. If we work, if we take care of children, whatever it is, he is right there with us all the time. We forget that, but he doesn't want us to forget that. So I'm reminding you one more time: He didn't look the other way. You may even want to say it out loud whenever the enemy of your soul comes around giving you that sense of tension or anxiety, better known as fear. He doesn't want you to fear. He wants you to know he loves you, he did not look the other way, he will never look the other way, and you can rest in that. So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, stay vigilant, stay alert, take care of your temple (your body), get enough rest, be joyful, be thankful and don't forget: He didn't look the other way and he never will. He loves you with an everlasting love. You are his special treasure. We are his chosen generation, and no one or nothing can take that away. Ever.