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Kept from falling

Most mornings I find myself humming some of the old hymns; recently Nearer My God to Thee popped into my head. As I mused on the words, I noted that the movement seemed to indicate my moving nearer to Him.

Most mornings I find myself humming some of the old hymns; recently Nearer My God to Thee popped into my head.

As I mused on the words, I noted that the movement seemed to indicate my moving nearer to Him. “Yes,” I told myself, “that’s what I want to do, I long to move ever closer to the Lord.”

Following breakfast and the attendant cleanup, I sat down to continue re- reading a treasured book by Max Lucado: Come Thirsty. What I read brought tears to my eyes, a glorious sense of relief and the theme for this week’s article.

In Chapter 9, Lucado relates the story of a young man, blinded by an accident, who had basically given up all social interaction and any sense of responsibility. One morning his father gave him orders to put up the storm windows; then, slamming the door he left for work.

The young man responded with a grudging, “I’ll do it but they’ll be sorry if I fall off the ladder and break my neck.” He didn’t fall, he didn’t break anything and he got the job done.

What he didn’t know until many years later, however, was that his father was never more than a few feet from his son, watching him, ready to step in if his beloved boy was in trouble.

That beautiful account brought a new slant on the hymn as I realized it’s not my efforts in drawing nearer to God that keep me safe, it’s His eternal presence watching over me. Yes, we’re called upon to do our part but what a comfort to know it’s His intervention keeping us, now and forever.

“Unto Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.” Jude 24 (NIV)