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This is the daily devotion from the book, “Holding On and Letting Go” and the companion audio from the July 29, 2021 live social media broadcast of encouragement and prayer by Impact Prayer Ministry’s director, Tom Lemler.

Here is day nineteen with an important reminder to hold on to God above all else even as He holds on to you.

Hold On To God!

“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” 
Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

Have you ever felt abandoned by people?  Are there people who likely feel that you have abandoned them?  Have you ever felt abandoned by God?  Why?  What do you do when you feel alone?  How difficult is it to hold on to God when you find yourself in the midst of chaos?  Why?  What comfort does God give you when you do hold on to Him in the midst of disaster?

Recovery is rarely as fast as we would like and often never as complete as we would hope.  It is in the process of overcoming that we must hold on to God every step of the way.  God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us, but I know a lot of people who live life distant from God — many as a reaction to some disaster in their life.  The problem isn’t that God left, but rather that the enemy convinces us that God doesn’t care so we might as well let go.  Holding on to God is a matter of faith and sometimes we just need to join the person in scripture in saying, “Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!”  Even when it is unclear if and when life will ever be “normal” again, holding on to God will give us a sure foundation for whatever the days ahead will bring.  Yes, there will likely be people that abandon us and even people that we abandon, but we must be careful to not let our failures define God.  As we hold on to God we find that He also has a firm hold on us with a desire to see us through the troubles of life.  When we hold on to God in the midst of our chaos, we find that we not only have a point of stability in our life but that He will use us to help others see Him as the reason for our hope.

As you pray, thank God for always being there for you to hold on to.  Pray that you would not allow the actions or inaction of people to entice you into letting go of God.  Pray that you would hold on to God in such a way that He provides hope to you and to those around you.

In prayer,
Tom