JANUARY 21
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.”
Jude 1:24
Deep in the tropical jungle of Mexico we came to a foot
bridge, used by the men who gathered coffee beans. It was
swung by ropes across a deep gorge, and many of the planks
were missing, leaving gaping holes through which one could
plunge to the rocky depths below. As my younger daughter
hesitated, I said, “Hold on to me, I’ll keep you from falling.” Of
course it didn’t occur to me that she would doubt my word, nor
did she doubt it.
The Bible portrays God as behaving in the same loving and
realistic way toward his creation. He not only is able to keep
us from falling, but if we cling to Him in faith, he WILL keep us
from falling. The secret is in our holding to Him. I shudder
to think of what might have happened had my daughter broken
loose from my hold and run down the treacherous bridge alone.
I would have been powerless to keep her from falling. God does
not hold us against our wills. When we break from His fellowship
and insist on going it alone, He allows us to do so, and it is
at such times that we experience the bruises from falling. In
such perilous times as the present we may look around and feel
the terror of evil that surrounds us, and question whether or not
we may be able to stand. Many become so frightened at the
prospects of the future that they give up in despair. Indeed,
were we to stand in our own strength we would do well to be
frightened. But we are not on our own, but in the care of Him
who is able to keep us from falling. His mighty power and
all-sufficient grace can overcome our weaknesses and keep us from
falling under the power of Satan.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for holding on to me when my grasp has been
weak, for keeping me from falling and for undergirding me when the way is weary.
Strengthen my trust and guide my way that I may finally come into your glorious
presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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