He Will Not Forsake You From the Central Regional Pastor, Rev. David Haberstock
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.” - Psalm 37:25-26
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his is a moment of great uncertainty. Workers have been sent home. Business is at a standstill. How will you make an income? How will you pay your rent, mortgage, utilities, buy food? Will there be a job to go back to? I don’t know. I do not know what tomorrow will bring. This situation changes day by day. I do know that the Lord provides what you need. I know that the Lord will see you through. Over the years I’ve wrestled with trusting the Lord on this point. I’ve always been quite frugal and lived within my means. Tithed. Saved. And so forth. I can make it through a lot on my own. But now I have a family. Now I have others beyond myself to care for. Now my concern is for them. For my ability to provide for them. A couple of things have helped me with this fear. Firstly, the promises of Holy Scripture. Secondly, the faith of my wife. Psalm 37 is a psalm of David. David was the king of Israel who presided over their golden age. However, if you know David’s story, behind all the battles and glory was great struggle and uncertainty. Yet, David trusted in the Lord. He had that supernatural gift of faith which you have been granted through the Word about Jesus (Romans 10:17). Your faith may not be as bold or strong as David’s, but “a bruised reed He will not break, a smouldering wick He will not snuff out.” That is Isaiah’s description of Christ Jesus (Isaiah 42:1-3). Even if you have merely a smoking-ember-of-a-blown-out-candle of faith, Jesus hangs on to you in this moment, fanning your faith into flame. For He is the One who called you to faith (Romans 10:17). You did not choose Him; He chose you (John 15:16). And He who has called you to faith in Himself is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24). He has called you to produce fruit in Him (John 15:16). For in Christ Jesus, you are righteous. Righteous in faith (Galatians 3:11). Righteous not of yourself, but
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THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN March/April 2020
through faith in the One who died for your sins and was raised to life for your justification (Romans 4:25) . Blessed with faith in Him you are one of His righteous ones whom He will not forsake (Psalm 37:25). And He has appointed you for this time to bear fruit. The fruit of faithfulness. The fruit of steadfastness. The fruit of peace in this storm. The fruit of supporting others. The fruit of lending a hand to those around you. The fruit of raising up offspring—whether children by blood or children by faith—who become a blessing in the land (Psalm 37:26). You are here for this time. I do not know how the Lord will see us through. I expect it will be hard. But He has called you for this time and this place to be a blessing to others. He will not abandon you. When the children of Israel were led by Him into the desert for 40 years Jesus fed them with bread from heaven and water from the rock. He did not let their clothes or sandals wear out for the 40 years of wilderness wandering (Deuteronomy 29:5). He is able to provide. And He will provide what you need in this circumstance. Seeing the Lord’s promise to provide all over Scripture has strengthened me. But it is also a blessed thing to have the faithful witness of His saints. In particular, the Lord has encouraged me through the wife He gave me. She has often reminded me, when I worry, that the Lord has always provided for us beyond what we need or deserve. Beloved child of God, your Lord will see you through this. When you doubt, turn to the comfort which comes from His Word of promise to you. And turn to your brothers and sisters in Christ in your local congregation. They are there for you. I pray the Lord comforts you with the faithful witness of His Word and His saints in this time of distress.
