The One who never leaves the one behind.
The Lord has been rocking my world over the last 24 hours with this word:
"He's the One who never leaves the one behind."
It's a beautiful line in a song we sang at church last night, but it goes beyond being a beautiful lyric. HE DOESN'T - WON'T - LEAVE THE ONE (or us) BEHIND. He just won't.
With the help of Canva.com I created the above image last night as I was processing what He was telling me. Then this morning I was spending time with Him in the book of Luke and came to chapter 8 verses 26-38. Here is it:
I've read this passage many, many times and Jesus' interaction with the demons was what has always captured my attention. This morning though the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "He's the One who never leaves the one behind."
Jesus went to Gerasenes for the one. Literally all He did while he was there was heal this man possessed by a legion of demons. The people came after He had done this and their fear drove them to ask Him to leave - and He did, but not until He told the man He had healed to spread the word about how much God had done for him. Jesus knew the people there would ask Him to leave - before He ever got there - but that didn't stop Him from going after the one.
And with this revelation came the full force (well, in reality it probably isn't the full force of His goodness. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stand underneath that) of the goodness of God.
Jesus left those He had been ministering to to go after the one who needed him - so desperately. That demon-possessed man would have gone to hell if Jesus hadn't gone to him; he would have been tormented to his dying day if Jesus hadn't gone to him.
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
I was reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 15: 4:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"
That is exactly what Jesus did for the demon-possessed man. He left the 99 and went after him. Oh my goodness!!! I'm floored.
Let's think about it for a minute. Jesus and his disciples got in a boat, rowed across a lake, and battled a storm to get to this man - who by the way met Him when He got out of the boat (coincidence? I don't think so). Jesus healed him by driving the demons into a herd of pigs then commissioned him to go tell of the goodness of God - THEN LEFT (got back into the boat and went back to where he had come from).
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
And he won't leave you behind either, dear one. He just won't. Sometimes we feel lost and alone - like no one cares and we have been left behind by the circumstances of life. When we are in this place things get pretty bleak pretty fast. I imagine what a lost lamb must feel out in the middle of no-where all alone. What a scary feeling that must be! I remember back to times I have been "out in the middle of no-where" all alone. Feeling certain I had been left - all alone. The crushing weight of it is no joke. But, in the darkest places I've been - in my most lonely hour - He has been there. He has come to get me. He has never left me on my own. Not ever.
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
I can hear you now: Jacqui, you keep saying that, but you have no idea where I am or what I've done. You, dear one, can NOT change the character of God. You can not make Him not want to come get you. You just can't - you don't have that kind of power. His heart has forever been and always will be for you. (on a side note, let me be clear - you can choose not to go with Him when He comes to get you [and it will break His heart], but your choosing not to go with Him is your choice and has no impact on His character). He comes for us because He loves us! He - the Most High God - wants us! He wants to be in relationship with us! He'll always come get us - somehow, someway.
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
The ONE is valuable to Him, so valuable in fact that He will leave the 99 to go after the one. We all have times of being the one that He needs to go after. I'm so thankful he always does.
There have been so many times in my life that He has come after me. He is so faithful... even when I am not. His goodness overwhelms me and His faithfulness makes me trust him.
You can trust Him too.
Thank you, Lord, for coming after the ONE. You truly are the One who never leaves the ONE behind.
Here is the song I mentioned at the beginning of this post if you would like to listen to it:
So Will I (100 Billion X) - Hillsong Worship
"He's the One who never leaves the one behind."
It's a beautiful line in a song we sang at church last night, but it goes beyond being a beautiful lyric. HE DOESN'T - WON'T - LEAVE THE ONE (or us) BEHIND. He just won't.
With the help of Canva.com I created the above image last night as I was processing what He was telling me. Then this morning I was spending time with Him in the book of Luke and came to chapter 8 verses 26-38. Here is it:
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Jesus went to Gerasenes for the one. Literally all He did while he was there was heal this man possessed by a legion of demons. The people came after He had done this and their fear drove them to ask Him to leave - and He did, but not until He told the man He had healed to spread the word about how much God had done for him. Jesus knew the people there would ask Him to leave - before He ever got there - but that didn't stop Him from going after the one.
And with this revelation came the full force (well, in reality it probably isn't the full force of His goodness. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stand underneath that) of the goodness of God.
Jesus left those He had been ministering to to go after the one who needed him - so desperately. That demon-possessed man would have gone to hell if Jesus hadn't gone to him; he would have been tormented to his dying day if Jesus hadn't gone to him.
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
I was reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 15: 4:
"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"
That is exactly what Jesus did for the demon-possessed man. He left the 99 and went after him. Oh my goodness!!! I'm floored.
Let's think about it for a minute. Jesus and his disciples got in a boat, rowed across a lake, and battled a storm to get to this man - who by the way met Him when He got out of the boat (coincidence? I don't think so). Jesus healed him by driving the demons into a herd of pigs then commissioned him to go tell of the goodness of God - THEN LEFT (got back into the boat and went back to where he had come from).
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
And he won't leave you behind either, dear one. He just won't. Sometimes we feel lost and alone - like no one cares and we have been left behind by the circumstances of life. When we are in this place things get pretty bleak pretty fast. I imagine what a lost lamb must feel out in the middle of no-where all alone. What a scary feeling that must be! I remember back to times I have been "out in the middle of no-where" all alone. Feeling certain I had been left - all alone. The crushing weight of it is no joke. But, in the darkest places I've been - in my most lonely hour - He has been there. He has come to get me. He has never left me on my own. Not ever.
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
I can hear you now: Jacqui, you keep saying that, but you have no idea where I am or what I've done. You, dear one, can NOT change the character of God. You can not make Him not want to come get you. You just can't - you don't have that kind of power. His heart has forever been and always will be for you. (on a side note, let me be clear - you can choose not to go with Him when He comes to get you [and it will break His heart], but your choosing not to go with Him is your choice and has no impact on His character). He comes for us because He loves us! He - the Most High God - wants us! He wants to be in relationship with us! He'll always come get us - somehow, someway.
He's the One who never leaves the one behind.
The ONE is valuable to Him, so valuable in fact that He will leave the 99 to go after the one. We all have times of being the one that He needs to go after. I'm so thankful he always does.
There have been so many times in my life that He has come after me. He is so faithful... even when I am not. His goodness overwhelms me and His faithfulness makes me trust him.
You can trust Him too.
Thank you, Lord, for coming after the ONE. You truly are the One who never leaves the ONE behind.
Here is the song I mentioned at the beginning of this post if you would like to listen to it:
So Will I (100 Billion X) - Hillsong Worship
