"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand." Psalm 37:24
Dana and I have traveled to the mountains many times over the years. We stumbled upon a spot high up in the Tennessee mountains one time that we venture back to every time we find ourselves there. This place is warm and inviting, but crisp and cool all at the same time. It is peaceful and alluring; a delight I find myself wanting to go back to whenever we talk about traveling.
This place is tucked away in a forest with a creek that runs through it. This body of water has large boulders on which to climb. The sun warms the rocks and draws you in, welcoming you to come and sit for a while. And that is what we do.
On one vacation we took, just the two of us, we decided to spend the morning there, so I grab a good book and Dana the local newspaper as we made our way to this little nest. I was following behind Dana as he made his first step across a stream of water, but came up short and toppled right down landing on his elbow into this tiny gorge.
Now if you had my point of view, it all happened so suddenly but in slow motion, and there was nothing really I could do except cover my mouth before a giggle escaped and exclaim, "Oh no, your paper's getting wet". (I got a strong glare as Dana turned his head to look up at me).
We finally made it across the expanse of rocks and located our place to nestledown. I eagerly opened my book to read in hopes of not receiving any more hard glares from the fallen one. Dana examined his body for evidence of his descent (a nick on the elbow being the only damage)...(oh, and a little numbness in his fingers from the nick).
"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps." (Ps. 40:1-2)
I am so thankful I serve a God that doesn't leave us in a pit of despair. When we fall down, He picks us up. He strengthens us and gives us victory over our battles. He gives courage and helps us to embrace Him in times of need. Our Lord is our security and helper, He will set our feet on solid ground every time. All we have to do is surrender to Him.
The enemy loves to keep us stuck in the guilt and consequences of our failures, but thank God His mercy endures forever and His strong hand holds us fast. causing us to sing His praises...
"He has put a new song in my mouth-Praise to Our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord." (Ps. 40:3)
I love you & He loves you more!
Lord, Thank You for rescuing us over and over again and for giving us a fresh start after each time we fall. May Your name be glorified. In Jesus' name. Amen.