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Location: Para, Brazil

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

God is always there for you!

HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU

The following touching story comes from the book, "Chicken Soup For the Soul":

In 1989, an earthquake almost flattened Armenia. This deadly tremor killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son's school. When he arrived there he discovered the building was flat as a pancake.

Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he made to his son, "No matter what, I'll always be there for you!" Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he could not take his mind off his promise.

Remembering that his son's classroom was in the back right corner of the building, the father rushed there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son! "My daughter!" They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying: "It's too late!" "They're dead!" "You can't help!" "Go home!" Even a police officer and a fire fighter told him he should go home. To everyone who tried to stop him he said, "Are you going to help me now?" They did not answer him and he continued digging for his son stone by stone.

He needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" This man dug for eight hours and then twelve and then twenty-four and then thirty-six. Finally in the thirty-eighth hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son's voice. He screamed his son's name, "ARMAND!" and a voice answered him, "Dad? It's me, Dad!" Then the boy added these priceless words, "I told the other kids not to worry. I told 'em that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised that, Dad. 'No matter what,' you said, 'I'll always be there for you!' And here you are Dad. You kept your promise!"

What a beautiful illustration of the promise that God has made to us. "For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'' (Heb. 13:5).

That is a promise with which we can trust our lives. Time and time again, God has proven His faithfulness. And we have every reason to believe that He will continue to keep that promise. Maybe you find that your world has collapsed around you. Your marriage is struggling. You're not sure where the money will come from to pay your bills. You just got off the phone with the doctor and the news is not good.

Hear these words of God. Fix them firmly in your mind. God said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." It may seems that hours have passed by without any sign of God in your life, maybe even days, weeks, months or years. Take heart and be assured. God said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." No matter how it may seem, God has not forsaken you. And he longs for the day when he can once again hold you in His arms.

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina