I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
My childhood is indelibly stamped with odd memories. In the room of my mind, there are thousands of shelves and niches, each filled with memories. Some are normal. Some are strange. Many, like faded old photographs, are now so indistinct that they can no longer be made out. Then there are those that are indelibly etched on the canvas of my mind. Even among this latter category, most have been covered with dust or pushed out of sight. Yet now and then, something will cause one to fall off the shelf, shake loose the dust, and jump out at me. Today’s verse has prompted one of those events.
I was perhaps six or seven years old. We lived on a quiet semi-rural street to nowhere. Down from our house, the main road turned left but the road we lived on continuing for about half a mile to a dead end.
It was evening. The sun had set and the clear summer sky had turned a pale blue yellow. It was quiet and still.
A car had driven down the dead end and into a light pole, knocking out the power on our street. All the neighbors had gathered to see what had happened. I was told to “stay,” so I did. I waited at the entrance of our driveway, sitting on the warm concrete. I was looking at the faded sky and the deepening blue-gray of the tree-shadowed end of the road.
That mom and dad were gone felt odd. To be alone felt odd. I didn’t know what was going on. In my child’s mind, I wondered if they would come back.
My brother, Jim, came out and sat beside me. We had been eating dinner when the accident happened. Jim was still holding on to a drumstick. As we sat next to each other in the cooling night air he looked up to me and offered me some of his chicken. I was touched. Normally we would be fighting or arguing. At this moment of unusual loneliness, he was nurturing and friendly. For the moment we were both orphans.
Today Jesus assures us once again that he is not leaving us alone. He himself will come to us.
Let’s Discuss: What would it be like to be left an orphan by our Maker?
As saints, we will never know due to the Holy Spirit. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us. The absence of God is the absence of His grace and mercy. This absence was only intended for the devil and his angels, but those who reject Him face the same doom.
That would be unthinkable and tragic. It would be hopeless, terrifying and would fill me with great despair. I am thankful for His promise that such a thing will not happen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I thought the question was important to ask even if it seems a bit strange. It helps me to appreciate what a wonderful gift we have being in our Father’s presence.