This morning I was reading in Acts. The chapter I was in, told of Paul traveling to Athens and Corinth and teaching the Greeks.
It reminded me of our time in Greece. There were small chapels everywhere. Sometimes they were only half a mile apart. When we would walk the streets there would be a chapel in the center of the city square, one at the harbor only a few hundred yards away, one on the top of a small hill and then there were prayer chapels sandwiched in between the shops.
Always, there was a reminder of the presence of God. That IS my favorite memory from the Greek islands.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
7 Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. 8 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 31:6-8 NLT
So much to be grateful for! “Don’t be afraid – He will neither fail you nor abandon you”!
Have you ever felt abandoned? Lost and afraid? It’s a sinking feeling; almost a hopelessness. Our heavenly Father never wants us to experience that kind of desperation.
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do…I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” Psalm 139:1-10 NLT
There is no place we will ever go or ever be that our loving, heavenly Father doesn’t go with us.
Jonah was in the belly of a fish; the three Hebrew children were in a fiery furnace, Paul was lost in the sea, the thief was hanging on the cross, the woman was in an adulterous affair and David was facing a giant. All the time, God was there.
We used to sing a song that went something like this: “The place where I worship is the wide, open spaces built by the hand of the Lord. The trees of the forest are like pipes of an organ and the breeze plays an amen chord…”
Like our friends in Greece, we need to take time to worship God no matter where we are.
In a hospital room, a court room, an empty home, a crowded office or a bustling interstate, God is there.
Anywhere we go can become a place of worship if we open our hearts and praise the One who has promised to never leave us alone or abandon us!