GOD NEVER GIVES UP ON YOU

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” –  Deuteronomy 31:8.

If you have lived more than a few years, then you have probably experienced someone giving up on you. Maybe it was a teacher who felt that you would never understand calculus. Or a girlfriend/boyfriend who didn’t think you would ever climb up the corporate ladder. Or maybe a boss at work got frustrated because you didn’t seem to grasp the company culture. No matter how good you are or what you have accomplished, somebody will probably give up on you at some point. Fortunately, your Heavenly Father never will.  He will never drive you away. Ever.

The parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15 is a powerful illustration of that fact. Take a moment to reflect on this well-known parable, specifically the heart of the father after the son disrespects his father by demanding his inheritance (which was only due when the father dies). Apparently, the son thought the father was living too long. Even after that break with tradition, even after the son squandered all the money on wild living and fell on hard times he decided to return to the father he scorned.

The Bible tells us that as he returned to his father, his father saw him from afar and ran towards him to embrace him. What does that tell us? That tells us that The father was waiting for him, watching for him, that tells us that even as he had run away and absconded, his Father’s eyes were still fixed on him. His Father’s heart was still open to him, even after he had closed his heart to his father.

There is a lesson for us there. God’s arms are always open to us. No matter how long we have been away. No matter what we think, we have done. No matter how far we have strayed. God’s hands are big enough to draw you back to His side. As long as you decide to return to Him, He will never drive you away.

God never gives up on us. Our sins may drive us farther and farther away from Him—but even then, He still loves us and yearns for us to repent and turn to Him for the forgiveness and help we need. The Bible says, “But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15).

So, don’t give up on God when it seems too tough to stand when the end is nowhere in sight. God has not and never will give up on you. He has promised to win every battle He enters into with you. Never give up on God because He will never give up on you.

“Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly” (1 Chronicles 28:20).

Discussion Questions:

1. Whatever you’re going through, the Lord will gather you back up again. Even if you give up on Jesus, He will never give up on you. How have you seen that manifested in your life?
2. How does the fact that God will never give up on us impact our lives on a daily basis?