by Charles R. Swindoll
Read 1 Kings 17:5-7
Elijah was in a tough spot. A life-threatening spot. The
brook had dried up. Had God forgotten His faithful servant? Has God forgotten
you? Has He left you all alone?
The God who gives water can also withhold water. That's His
sovereign right.
Our human feelings tell us that once our faithful heavenly
Father gives water, He should never take it away. It just wouldn't be fair.
Once God gives a mate, He should never take a mate. Once God gives a child, He
should never take a child. Once He gives a good business, He has no right to
take that business. Once He provides a pastor, He must never call him
elsewhere. Once He gives us rapid growth and great delight in a ministry, He
has no right to step in and say, "Wait a minute. There's no need to grow
larger. Let Me take you deeper instead." On the contrary, He has every
right!
When we hit a tough spot, our tendency is to feel abandoned,
to become resentful, to think, How could God forget me? In fact, just the
opposite is true. In times of testing, we are more than ever the object of His
concern.
But God says, in the midst of your dried-up brook, "You
are written on the palms of My hands. You are continually before me." Then
He uses that wonderful image of a young mother with her new baby, and He
surprises us with a realistic reminder: "Can a woman forget her nursing
child?" You wouldn't think so, would you? But look at the stories in the
news, and you know how many women do exactly that. Babies left in garbage
dumpsters. Tiny babies abandoned—sometimes even abused or tortured or murdered.
Yes, as unimaginable as it seems, even a mother can forget her nursing child.
But here's the clincher: Not God. Not God! He will never forget us. We are
permanently inscribed on the palms of His hands. Pause, and let that sink in.
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