Be Right Back

Read 2 Chronicles 20:5-12

When our son was a toddler, I was home with him almost full time. We spent our days together – days filled with reading books, doing chores, making food, disciplining, being creative, playing outside, and taking naps. He was an independent introvert, so he did not need me at his side all the time. I had a habit, though, of always letting him know if I was going to leave the room.

“Be right back,” I’d say, as I went around the corner to empty the laundry basket, or whatever else needed to be done. I wasn’t sure it ever made a difference to him until one day, when he was old enough to begin stringing words together. He got up from what he was playing with, looked at me directly, and said, “Be right back” (using the same inflection and gesture I always did!) as he went into his room to retrieve another toy to add to his farm on the living room carpet.

It wasn’t until that moment that I realized the impact of that small phrase. Although he never reacted to it, he heard it, and had learned what it meant. He depended on the fact that I meant what I said, and would always come back to be with him again soon. It was important enough to him that he took time to say it to me as well. Our shared history gave it meaning.

I am reminded that God’s ways are dependable and trustworthy. He means what He says and, although He sometimes is out of sight, we can be assured that He is there, simply because He has proven it to us many times before.

When we are enduring a time of waiting, it is important to keep remembering the ways God has already acted in our lives, showing that He is trustworthy, powerful, and loving enough to handle this new thing as well. God’s word is full of ways He has intervened on behalf of His people, and reading those accounts will strengthen our confidence and faith. Our shared history shows us that God is one who keeps His promises and never leaves us. He has come through for His people in the past, and He will do the same for us when we put our hope in Him.

God’s ways are dependable and trustworthy, even when we don’t feel Him right beside us.

·         Reflect on your own history with God. How have you preserved it so that you can be reminded of it when needed?

·         Take time to remember right now some times when God showed He was there for you.