Devotionals

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You are my help; do not cast me off; do not forsake me, God my savior!
Psalm 27:9

We sometimes look to other things or other people when we are having difficult times. We may put all our hope in one person and look up to them so much that we think they never will hurt us, leave us, or make a mistake. We put all of our trust in them. At some point, we realize that they, too, are human and, like all humans, they will hurt us, make mistakes, or may leave us. We will feel confused and disappointed, and we may wonder if we should ever trust again.
It is certainly appropriate to ask for help from someone when you need it. You should have a certain amount of trust in a friend or a professional who may be helping you. In fact, it is a healthy and necessary part of life—we need each other. The problem comes when we give our complete devotion and trust to people. We cannot believe that everything they say is exactly what we should follow: we must think before we act on any suggestion we receive. It is not wise to blindly follow, without requesting guidance from our all-knowing God.

As small children, we trusted our parents in that way. A safe haven of trust is a necessary part of child development. At some point, however, we realize that our parents sometimes make mistakes. Hence, we develop our own thoughts and ideas, even though we continue to listen to our parents’ words of advice.

It can be unsettling and confusing to those who are unsure of themselves and want to completely trust someone, simply because they don’t believe in their own ability to think things through. If their friend or professional counselor is helpful, they will help them see that they have the internal ability to decide things for themselves. Each of us needs to learn that we will, at times, make mistakes.
God is the only One to whom we can totally trust, devote and commit our lives with complete confidence. We do not have to worry about God leaving us. Even when we die, God will be there. In fact, when we die, we will be even closer to Him. Even though we don’t always feel His presence, we know He is there. This knowledge is comforting.

However, God wants us to use the free will he has given us. He will not stop us from doing something that will hurt us or isn’t healthy for us. That is our choice; our free will. God does not “cast us off,” instead, sometimes we cast Him off, if only for a few minutes. I believe the writer of this Psalm is asking God to please help us not forget Him, and to show us how we are supposed to love others by showing the love He has for us. God will never forsake us, even though we may feel that way, at times. It is then that we most need to turn to Him.

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