The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Arm of Protection" for Sunday, 17 September 2017 - Read Deuteronomy 31:6-8

The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Arm of Protection" for Sunday, 17 September 2017 - Read Deuteronomy 31:6-8
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Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong, be bold, don’t be afraid or frightened of them, for Adonai your God is going with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
(RY: v, LY: iii) 7 Next Moshe summoned Y’hoshua and, in the sight of all Isra’el, said to him, “Be strong, be bold, for you are going with this people into the land Adonai swore to their ancestors he would give them. You will be the one causing them to inherit it. 8 But Adonai — it is he who will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you, so don’t be afraid or downhearted.”
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The LORD your God . . . goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 (NRSV))
My grandson, Keagan, thrashed his arms and legs in the pool as he tried to swim. But he made little headway, even with my arm keeping him from sinking. The lifeguard watched my attempt to teach Keagan to swim and made a helpful suggestion, “Get him to swim with his face in the water, only lifting it to catch his breath. With the head up, the hips sink, making it harder to swim.”
Keagan definitely didn’t want to put his face in the water. But he was finally brave enough to try it. Only then did he begin to swim. Within days he could swim the width of the pool with me walking beside him. When his face was in the water, I gently touched his tummy with just one finger, not to support him but to assure him I was still there.
Later, I savored that grandma-grandson experience and realized it’s what Jesus does for me. He walks beside me — protecting me from sinking, expecting me to do my part, but never leaving me.
Many times in life I’ve been required to plunge my face into the waters of new, unknown, scary challenges. I rarely want to; the familiar is much more comfortable. But when we act with faithful obedience, we can rest assured that Jesus is with us.
See photos from the author, here.

Donna with her grandson Keagan in the pool

Keagan swimming with his face in the water, guided by Donna

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The Author: Donna Scales (Oregon, USA)
Thought for the Day: Jesus goes with me into the unknown.
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for never leaving us or forsaking us. Amen.
Prayer focus: Grandparents
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