DEVO: Who's Running With You?

 

“…God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
-Hebrews 13:5b 

Last year, I volunteered at a 5K.  That basically meant that I stood at a certain place and made sure the runners went the right direction. The high school students had to make three laps, so I saw all of them three times.
One particular runner was fourth-from-last on the first lap. On the second lap, he was last, and I thought there was no way he would even finish. He was struggling to breathe with each step he took. On the final lap, as he approached me, a man from the sidelines joined him and completed the race with him. The man was definitely not dressed to run as he was in street clothes, yet he stayed with the runner to the end. Perhaps without the man running beside him, this runner might not have finished.
After the race was complete, I saw the man and asked if he was the coach. He said, “No, I am his father." As I reflected on his comments, I thought, "What a great example of what my heavenly Father does for me." When I am gasping for breath, struggling with each step, my Father is running with me to encourage me each step of the way.  

Questions: 

1. In life, do you ever feel like this runner?
2. Do you believe that God is with you at all times?
3. Do you have Christian brothers and sisters in your life who can encourage you in tough times? If so, how does that help you realize God’s presence in your life?
4. How can you encourage someone today who is struggling? 

Cool Verses:

Exodus 17:8-16
Psalm 86:15
1 Thessalonians 5:11

View from the Top

This summer I had an opportunity to go hiking with my friends. We spent some time driving through a national park, and at one point decided to take a break to get out and stretch our legs.
The park itself includes thousands of acres of desolate land with countless geographic features to hike and explore. We didn’t have a whole lot of time, but we decided to see the arch aptly named “Delicate Arch.” Because of our schedule, we set out to explore the arch from the more distant, lower view. From the parking lot to the viewing area was about a half a mile on an uphill, rocky, dusty trail. Mixed with the elevation and heat, it wasn't a simple walk to the overlook. You had to really want to see it.
Once we got to the top, I was able to spend a little time just standing in awe and worshiping our creative God before we made our descent. About a third of the way back down, I crossed paths with a family hiking up. I overheard a young boy complaining to his dad about being hot and tired and not wanting to go any farther. His dad asked if he wanted to go on or just sit there and wait until they came back down. “I don't want to go any farther. I'll just wait here,” he said.
“That's silly,” I thought. “You got out of the car, got a sneak peek, made it most of the way to the top, and now you want to stop before you've even seen the best part?”
Not even steps later I felt God speak to me. I turned around and looked up at where the boy was on the trail and his view of the arch. From the parking lot, a sneak peak of the arch was visible up a narrow canyon, but the best view was from the top. On the trail, though, the arch was hidden. He couldn't see it.
I think a similar thing happens to us often as Christians. We've given our lives to Christ. We've seen evidence of Him working in and around us. But as time goes on we put our heads down, and our view becomes obstructed. We sit down and don't want to go any farther.
As I thought about it, God assured me of something that He repeated many times in the Bible: He's still there and will always be there. Think about it. Regardless of whether or not the boy moved up or down on the trail, Delicate Arch wouldn't keep moving farther and farther away the closer he got to the top. And Jesus won't move farther away from us, either.
You wouldn’t sit down in a marathon at mile 20 because you couldn’t see the finish line, would you? And because you know the distance, you know there will be a finish line at mile 26.2. You know the line won’t keep moving farther away.
My prayer today is that, even in the times when our view becomes obstructed, we won't sit down. May we, instead, run to our Savior who is waiting for us. He’s not going anywhere, of that we can be sure. The very trail we've started on has been cleared by Him for us to see Him better if we just keep moving.

Checkout:

Deuteronomy 31:6
Proverbs 3:5-6
Philippians 1:6
Hebrews 12:1-3 

life

I'll tell you flat out
It hurts so much to think of this
So from my thoughts I will exclude
The very thing that
I hate more than everything is
The way I'm powerless
To dictate my own moods

I've thrown away
So many things that could've been much more
And I just pray
My problems go away if they're ignored
But that's not the way it works
No that's not the way it works

When I go down
I go down hard
And I take everything I've learned
And teach myself some disregard
When I go down
It hurts to hit the bottom
And of the things that got me there
I think, if only I had fought them

If and when I can
Clear myself of this clouded mind
I'll watch myself settle down
Into a place where
Peace can search me out and find
That I'm so ready to be found

I've thrown away
The hope I had in friendships
I've thrown away
So many things that could have been much more
I've thrown away
The secret to find an end to this
And I just pray
My problems go away if they're ignored
But that's not the way it works
No that's not the way it works

Any control I thought I had just slips right through my hands
While my ever-present conscience shakes its head and reprimands me
Reprimands me
Then and there
I confess
I'll blame all this on my selfishness
Yet You love me
And that consumes me
And I'll stand up again
And do so willingly

You give me hope, and hope it gives me life
You touch my heavy heart, and when You do You make it light
As I exhale I hear your voice
And I answer You, though I hardly make a noise
And from my lips the words I choose to say
Seem pathetic, but it's fallen man's praise
Because I love You
Oh God, I love You
And life is now worth living
If only because of You
And when they say that I'm dead and gone
It won't be further from the truth

When I go down
I lift my eyes to You
I won't look very far
Cause you'll be there
With open arms
To lift me up again
To lift me up again