Never Forgotten

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. (Isaiah 43:1-3 ESV). Have you ever felt as though everyone has let you down? Have you ever felt abandoned or forgotten or forsaken? The Apostle Paul must have felt that way when he was imprisoned at Jerusalem. Paul must have been feeling discouraged, because we read in Acts 23:11, "The following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Be of good cheer, Paul.' " God reminded him that he was not alone. The great British preacher C. H. Spurgeon put it this way: If all else forsook him, Jesus was company enough; if all despised him, Jesus' smile was patronage enough; if the good cause seemed in danger, in the presence of His Master, victory was sure. The Lord who had stood for him at the cross, now stood by him in prison. . . . It was a dungeon, but the Lord was there; it was dark, but the glory of the Lord lit it up with heaven's own splendour. It comes down to the fact that we should rather be in a jail or in a storm or in a hardship with Jesus than anywhere else without Him. Of course being in that happy, blessed place with Jesus is best. However, we know life simply doesn’t work that way. God is always with us. He never forgets. We are not left alone. Look at our reading today again. God says, "When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. . . . For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:2–3).vHe is with us in the good times, and He is also with us in the bad times. And as someone wisely said, "He can compensate by His loving presence for every earthly loss." I have found that the real strength in the presence of God comes from more than a feeling. It’s been rightly said, “Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs.” Rather than become over-worried about your doubts, look to what you do believe, and draw strength from God. You will make it, not because of anything within you, but because God is powerful. Forget any deficiency you sense within you, and remember instead the sufficiency of Christ. You are never forgotten!