God Never Gives Up

God Never Gives Up

Have you ever given up on someone?

Have you declared, “Oh, I give up!”?

Has someone said to you, “You’ll never change!”?

This week I watched God show that He never gives up on people. No matter the sin; no matter the darkness; no matter the misery one chooses for oneself, God will relentlessly pursue people.

A dear man, whom I’ve known all my life, passed into Eternity earlier this week. In the days leading up to his death I sat or stood by his hospital bed along with his wife, mother, and sister.

Just hours before his death, tears trickled down my cheeks as I watched and listened to him struggle to muster enough strength to tell his 90 year old mother he was sorry for the years of worry, anguish, and sorrow he had caused her. He could barely say, “I’m sorry.”

She assured him that she had never stopped loving him and had never stopped praying for him. God heard every prayer and every heart cry.

This once young, tall, and very handsome man now lay in a weakened body, ravaged by years of fast living, abuse, and addiction.

This once brilliant mind now turned his thoughts to regret, sorrow, and yes−repentance.

That word, repentance, is the operative word in his situation. In recent years, as his body was failing, this man saw that his end was not far off. He turned his heart back to his Heavenly Father.

And God was there. He’d been there all along—always in relentless pursuit because He wants none to parish in an eternity of torment and hopelessness.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 NRSV

The morning after the small memorial, as I prayed for the family and his three scattered adult children, God gently reminded me that He never gives up on people. He had never given up on this man and He will not give up on the children who hardly knew their father.

Have you ever feared that God has given up on you? Or, have you feared He has given up on someone you love? That fear is groundless in light of God’s Promises and Covenants.

Don’t give up. Know that God hears your prayers and sees your tears. As long as there’s life, there’s hope. HOPE for redemption. That’s our other operative word—Redemption.

Jesus’ work on the cross canceled the debt of sin for anyone who would believe and receive Him. We each owed a debt we couldn’t pay SO Jesus paid that debt He didn’t owe−thus REDEMPTION. We only need to believe and receive.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17



Photo by Elijah Hail

Like the prodigal son Jesus spoke of in Luke 15, God, the Father is watching for the run-away to return and for the lost to be found.

If you’re the prodigal, don’t delay another moment. Don’t cause another tear to run down the cheek of your anguished loved one.

Turn to your Heavenly Father. He has not given up on you. He’s not mad at you. His love is never-ending and ever-reaching. Talk to Him now.

 

©Connie Wohlford