On Thursday morning, January 30th, my wife stood at my office door and gave me some bad news. A plane had crashed in Washington D.C., the night before, and everyone on board had been killed. How can one respond to this kind of news except with sadness? One can only say “Oh no!” or “How awful!” All told, there were 64 people who died on American Airlines Flight 5342 on the night of January 29th. In addition, 3 service members in a Black Hawk helicopter were killed. Tragic.
It isn’t as though the tragic crash on January 29th is a one-off event. We can’t minimize the impact of individual events like this, but we know that tragedy is a part of life. We face it every day. Media reminds us of plane crashes, disasters, wars, and starvation. And we see day-to-day difficulty in our own lives: sickness, job stresses, loss of loved ones, anxiety about so much in life. It is hard not to ask, “Where is God in all of this?”
The answer is simple and reassuring at the same time. But it only helps if we can see it and hold on to it. Where is God? He is right there. In the midst of it. Next to us, step-by-step. David writes in Psalm 23:
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. (Psa 23:4)
Flight 5342 originated in Wichita, Kansas. In the aftermath, Wichita faith leaders and community members gathered for a prayer vigil. In response to the enormous tragedy, people in Wichita did what we should all do when we face difficulty: They turned to God. Recognizing His presence and resting on the assurance that God is with us as He promises.
A local pastor, Ben Staley, brought words of encouragement when he prayed, “Today Lord we seek you…We pray that you would remind us of the assurance that you never leave us nor forsake us. Never is never and you were with those in those flights flying into Washington, DC, you were with them there and you were with them in the cold waters of the Potomac and your angels watching over them, never is never. You never leave us nor forsake us.” (1) I so appreciate his simple phrase, “never is never.”
The scripture tells us clearly that we can go to God in every difficult circumstance because God is always with us. This is what Staley was talking about. The writer of Hebrews quotes Deuteronomy and says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Heb 13:5). What’s more, the writer continues by quoting the Psalms, “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’” (Heb 13:6).
God says “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And Staley emphasizes the point with the simple phrase, “never is never.” Under any circumstances, no matter how bad. At any time. “Never is never.”
But how do we know? Well, we start with the simple fact that God has said it. “Never will I leave you.” If that isn’t enough, He demonstrates that He won’t leave us by showing us how much He loves us. Paul writes, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Friends, we know that God is with us, yes, even when we don’t see Him, because He has demonstrated His love for us.
When God says “never” He really means “never.” There is such great comfort in that, isn’t there? Because God’s presence, and His assurance of that presence, extends beyond the tragedy that we see and experience in this life. The promise is eternal. And so Paul writes, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).
Friends, life here has tragedy and difficulty. When times are difficult, knowing that God is with me helps me to bear the burden. God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Remember, friends, “never” really is “never.”
David Foucar has a passion for teaching God’s word. His first book, “What Do I Say When Asked About Jesus?” is a conversational approach to helping people answer questions about Jesus. The book provides a layman’s perspective on personal evangelism and the basics of the Christian faith. Dave has been married for thirty-six years to the love of his life, Debbie. They have three daughters, two sons-in-law, and two granddaughters. To read more of David’s writing visit his Newsletter.
Photo by Scripture-Images
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