When your world is spinning out of control, it is sometimes hard to feel that God is still beside you. When things don’t go as you expected them to go, you wonder where God is in all the struggles. Even after 41 years, I remember the most difficult week of my life, struggling to trust God as I waited for a judge to decide my future. Would he give me custody of my children and allow me to move from Colorado to Illinois to raise my girls surrounded by my family?
As we waited, we tried to think positively. I remember my dad telling me to trust God. I remember telling him, “I do trust God. It’s the judge I’m worrying about.” We prayed together. Mom, the optimist, packed my things. Dad read the Bible. And one morning, he read to us from Our Daily Bread:
The Unseen Presence
Life is filled with innumerable dangers, both physical and spiritual and being a child of God does not shield you from them. But the knowledge of the Savior’s constant presence can buoy your spirit, especially when adversity comes your way.
During World War II an ocean liner left a British port headed for a harbor in the United States. Enemy subs and cruisers were scattered about, placing the ship in peril as it crossed the Atlantic. Therefore, the captain was given secret directions charting the route. Added were these instructions: “Keep straight on this course. Turn aside for nothing. If you need help, send a wireless message in code.” After a few days out at sea, the crew spotted an enemy cruiser on the horizon. It appeared to be trailing them. The captain immediately sent a coded message: “Enemy cruiser sighted. What shall I do?” The reply came from an unseen ship: “Keep straight on. I’m standing by.” No friendly vessel could be seen, but the captain kept the liner on course until it safely reached the port. Within a short time, a British warship slipped into the same harbor. Although it had been out of sight, it had protected the passenger vessel.
You and I may face situations that seem to offer no way out. Fear sweeps over our souls, and we cry out to God. Though unseen, He sends the reassuring words, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Joshua 1:5). Like Joshua, we can take courage, knowing that the Lord is with us wherever we go. If we are in constant fellowship with Him, we should “keep straight on,” for He is “standing by.” —Paul R. Van Gorder
Paul Van Gorder, Our Daily Bread, RBC Ministries, Copyright 1982, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission.
I cannot explain the strength I felt after hearing this devotional. I felt God’s presence and began to trust Him that whatever the judge’s decision, He was the One in control.
On Friday of that week, I left Colorado with the judge’s permission and with full custody of my 3-year-old and my little one I’d yet to meet.
And a heart filled with gratitude for the miracle.
Taking It Further:
Are there times you feel alone, unsure of God’s presence? Take time to memorize Joshua 1:5 today and arm yourself with the Word of God to remind you that God is there, even when you cannot see Him.