John Chapter 8
By Pastor Neil
Scripture: John 8:12
You’ll Never Walk Alone
You have probably heard a song with that title, especially if you are of an “older generation”. The lyrics of the song urged the listener to think of life’s trials and tribulations and to trust in the truth that God will not leave us or forsake us, especially in our most trying times. The verse I have pinpointed today struck me as a theme that we would be wise to think about when we are most tempted to find ourselves sliding into the terror of the bad things that can happen to us in this fallen world. One exercise I have suggested to people from time to time is to rehearse some of the most dramatic moments in our past when we faced some terrible event.
I could name a few that I shudder to even remember: the bout with viral encephalitis that nearly ended the life of our younger son at three years of age; the death of my mother at what I think of as much too early in life; the death of my granddaughter of SIDS at the age of four months; the news that my sister, my only sibling, suffers from bone cancer; etc. And I hasten to say that the “etc.” is as frightening as the tests I have been called upon to face in the short list above. This world is a place where some of the most frightening losses of life can strike at our confidence in a God who is good.
I have come to know many of you at Twin Falls First Nazarene and have heard bits and pieces of your life’s story. Some of you could more than match my list of trials with even more horrific stories of your own. The Bible tells us that we now live in a fallen world. The legacy of sin makes “rain to fall on the just and the unjust,” as the Bible says. Many of us have fallen prey to some who preach a faith in God that all but guarantees us to be free of such calamities in our lives, a faith that is bound to fail in virtually every case. Why is this? Why not expect God to keep us free from such painful things?
God wants us to know that he knows the kind of world that we live in. In fact, He tells us that this kind of world brought about the need for the crucifixion of His Son for the remission of our sins and the sins of the world. So what does God promise to us for our times of need, when our faith is tested by life’s trials?
John 8:12. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
There it is. Wherever we go, whatever we face, whatever happens to us happens in the presence of Jesus. It’s reminiscent of the 23rd Psalm when the Psalmist tells us that even in “the valley of the shadow of death” God is with us. In each of the challenging events of my life, I can testify that this promise turned out to be true. In the midst of those “storms” I was more conscious of God’s presence and comfort at those times than at any other time of my life. My needs were so acute that my heightened needs brought about the incomparable comfort of Christ in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, I did not walk alone in those times. This is the privilege of all of us who place our faith and trust in the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives. He will never leave or forsake you!
