One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in Genesis 15:6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

This morning in our Prayer Group we were led in a discussion of Sabbath rest. The discussion followed our praise reports which were uplifting and our prayer requests which were daunting. We prayed for people affected by floods, fires and the First Responders working so hard in difficult and dangerous surroundings, Covid, children facing daunting medical concerns, babies born prematurely. All around us today we see problems in our own lives and the lives of our friends and family as well as turmoil in the world as people seem intent on tearing down rather than building up.

The greatest blessing in putting your faith and hope in God is the realization He is our rest. You see the world through different eyes. You see a world filled with people doing their best or worst as they navigate trials; and nature itself as its burdened and stretched to the limit of recovery and the repercussions we experience on this beautiful planet, our home. We are in this together….but we are never alone.

I don’t want to go through what is left of my life blindly living as though I am in control. I’ve experienced decades of living, striving, seeking to please people and God; trying to keep insecurities at bay by trying harder, working harder, praying harder.

Abram believed the Lord. Have you ever really thought about that? What it is to believe the Lord? What is it you believe?

I was recently introduced to the term Separation Theology. I’d never heard that term before and in Googling it there are many, many examples. I found myself skimming them but turning away. God warns us to separate ourselves from sinful practices 2 Corinthians 6:17 but He never turns His back on people. The Gospels are filled with stories of Jesus being with people whom others looked down on as sinful. He loved them. He doesn’t love sin because He knows how much we are hurt by our sins and the sins of others. We are hurt deeply. Some suggest there is a chasm between us and God…a separation. I used to feel that God was way up in the “heavens”…separated physically from me – quarantined. That lasted right up until the time I asked Him to let me know Him, really know Him. What I’m experiencing with God now is that He is right here with me. I feel His Presence and I’m learning to trust Him in everything. That doesn’t happen casually. It takes heart for God and He gives us that heart for Him. He supplies our greatest need – Him.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Psalm 44:22) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39.

The only thing that has the capability of separating us from God is our own thought that we are separated; but it’s just a thought. It may be steeped and ingrained so deeply within us that we find it hard to believe that God loves us, but love us He does. He created us and everything we see. And He said it was very good! Please don’t let anyone or anything ever convince you otherwise. If those doubts creep in, turn to Him and tell Him. He’s there, right there with you. And He loves you and always will.