God Never Gives Up on Us

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:1-2).

We went way back.

I looked around the room and saw friends representing my high school, college, and young adult years. Each of them had come to the Roaring Lambs Testimony Workshop to learn how to share their faith story. Each had jagged journeys to speak about. Their lives included setbacks, disappointments, and detours, but eventually they made a turn toward the light of Christ, never to return to the darkness again.

Because they were part of my life at one time or another, I knew their stories.

Drug addictions,

alcoholism,

divorce,

deaths of loved ones,

and family dysfunction.

They knew my story as well. The trials of life did not pass over any of us, but the goodness of God brought us back into a small room to witness a restoration that could only be from him.

And I realized that God is patient.

He never gives up on us.

He offers us his hand when we find ourselves in the pit, and gently lifts us out to show us a better way, HIS way, if we choose it. As I witnessed this room full of lifelong friends, all of our different roads, brought us together in one place to glorify God.

And I was amazed. Only God could do this. Because in our own strength, we could have never overcome the problems we faced throughout the years.

1 Peter 3:8-9 says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the LORD a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I am thankful I never gave up on anyone in the room, and I am thankful they never gave up on me. It could have happened, but instead it was powerful to see the transformation God made in all of us, and together, or apart, our testimonies have the power to change other lives.

What about you? Is there anyone you’ve written off because they’ve traveled down a path you’d never step foot on? Is there someone from your past that you need to reach out to in order to share how God has transformed you?

If God never gives up on us, then we should never give up on anyone as well. Instead, we need to be patient with them, we need to reflect God’s light in all that we do, and we need to pray for the Lord to lead our friends and loved ones to a place of healing, because that’s the same place he led us.