“He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.”
Deuteronomy 32:10
A sweet friend sent me this pic the other day, with a text that said, "Well, this isn't something you see everyday" to which my reply was, "Never have I ever!"
I couldn't quit looking at the pic and wondering the how and why. My puppy sits on my ottoman, not on the roof. In fact, I don't even let her outside without having her leash on. This sight was quite intriguing to me, and somewhat comical too I must add.
There's a lot of things we see and do every day which can become quite commonplace and normal. My husband started a new job the first of this year and I'm slowly becoming accustomed to him having a phone up to his ear more often than not. My son started a new job last week, he is having to adapt his sleeping schedule to daylight hours because he's working night shift now.
There are always new things to learn, things to adjust to, weaknesses to address and commit to working on, situations which catch us by surprise, etc. I realize that I may wake up tomorrow and face something that NEVER HAVE I EVER seen or faced before. First, because God is always up to something big and He likes us to grow in Him; and secondly, I've lived it before when we woke up the morning we lost our firstborn son in a motorcycle accident. (Sorry, not sorry, the anniversary date is creeping up on me and it's kind of on the surface.) We all have a story to tell.
I'm sure if I rode past this house and that dog was on the roof day after day, it wouldn't be so shocking and captivating anymore. It would become normal, and I couldn't say NEVER HAVE I EVER. Although some NEVER HAVE I EVER times can be hard and leave us reeling, the great thing about God is NEVER HAVE I EVER can also be a wonderfully, miraculous thing. He is sovereign and nothing EVER catches Him by surprise.
We may have a NEVER HAVE I EVER in our day, but God is NEVER shocked or caught by surprise by what comes into our day and will use it to our advantage.
I wonder how many times the disciples of Jesus thought NEVER HAVE I EVER as Jesus performed miracle after miracle, told parable after parable, and rose from the dead three days following His crucifixion? What about the flood in Noah's day? The ten plagues in Moses' day? What about the Israelites crossing a riverbed on "dry" ground? And, if I bring it closer to home...how many times have you and I faced NEVER HAVE I EVER situations and have had moments in which God steps in and brings us a calm, assured peace in the midst of the storm?
So, whether it's something we face which bewilders us and catches us off guard, or it's a stormy situation in which God walks onto the scene and wows us...
NEVER HAVE I EVER
...seen a dog sitting on a roof before, or Jesus feed the five-thousand with a few fish and bread - and NEVER HAVE I EVER seen Him fail me, not keep His promises or let me fall without picking me back up and seeing about me. Yes, it's true, the things He allows into our day " isn't something we see every day" but NEVER HAVE I EVER seen or known Him to fail, not be aware and not to come through for His children. Me.
We have this hope and promise that no matter where we're at and what our NEVER HAVE I EVER looks like; He will find us, He will lead and teach us what is required in the moment, and He will keep us as the apple of His eye come what may. We don't need to be afraid because He cannot fail and is always on time. Maybe we can even find ourselves looking on in awe at something He does in our situation of which we can testify later NEVER HAVE I EVER seen Him work it out like He did.
I know this was a bit redundant (repetition helps us learn) but I hope it makes sense, because I find myself a little scattered at the moment. I wanted to share this and encourage us to look at the NEVER HAVE I EVER in light of who We are in His eyes and ultimately who HE is.
Blessings~
*Please share this post with someone you know who might be struggling with their NEVER HAVE I EVER situation. Let's lift each other up!
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