It’s been almost a year since my last blog post. More than 11 months. I’m not sure what to say about that. Other than this: Life happens. To and for all of us. It hits hard sometimes. And chronic illness, well, though it might not ultimately take my life, it will do its best to wreck and to raze. The last 11 months have held four surgeries, one hospitalization, more than 70 infusions, among other things just for me.
Then there are those hard diagnoses others have received that have closed in on our family. And there’s the pandemic that has caused more than a year of its own grief. So, yes, life hits hard sometimes.
Why start writing again? It’s been so long. It’s been too long.
If anything, it’s to tell you this: Grace is always coming to meet you—it’s always coming to meet me. Grace and mercy. And goodness. It’s chasing you—all of it. It’s coming after me.
The Hebrew word for encourage is parakaleo. Sometimes the word means to comfort. Sometimes it means to exhort. But always, always, the word holds the idea of enabling a person to meet some difficult situation with confidence and—get this—gallantry. Gallantry? Yes, gallantry. Courageous behavior.
Look at the synonyms for encourage: embolden, hearten, inspirit, inspire, fortify, buoy. Even to fill with courage or strength of purpose. To assure.
That’s the point of this. Full assurance. So many of us lack the full assurance of the character of God. And that is one of the most difficult places to be—it’s a wilderness place.
Yet that’s where He speaks comfort to us.
Therefore, I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her there.
—Hosea 2:14
Maybe He does allure us to these places. If He does, though, is He sovereign, in control, making a way? If we end up here, does He move in love, does He deal with us in love?
Here’s the truth to hold onto, white-knuckled: God is a god of reconciliation. A God who restores. A God who brings us back to Him. God foresees every difficulty before we even know it’s coming. God anticipates every obstacle that may come in our way and those that may come in His way. He studies and knows every possible contingency. God is not a god who deserts. To desert doesn’t mean simply to abandon, but to abandon in a way that is considered disloyal or treacherous. That’s not our God.
Know Him. Know His character. Who He is. And know that He never leads us somewhere to leave us.
So, why start writing again? Well, I didn’t lead you somewhere to leave you. Here I am.
