13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
God is near. He is not hiding from us hoping that we will “make it” through life. His love is so deep for us that he never leaves nor forsakes us. He is present with us.
Yesterday I officiated at Bob Bramblet’s memorial service. In the middle of the service I shared a legend told about the Cherokee Indian practice of allowing a young boy to be initiated into manhood. It goes something like this.
A Cherokee Indian father takes his son deep into the forest, blindfolds him, and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump all night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sunlight shine through it.
He cannot cry out for help from anyone. Making it through the night, he will pass the initiation, and become MAN. He cannot tell other boys of this night because each youth must come into manhood on his own.
The boy is naturally full of fear. He can hear all the noises of the wild beasts, and wonders even if some human might do him harm. The wind howls about him during the night, but he must remain stoic if he is to become MAN. Finally, after a horrific night the sun appears and he removes his blindfold. It is then that he discovers his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been watching him the entire night, protecting his son from harm.
I memorized this verse in the King James Version when I was much younger. It has been a statement of encouragement to me. I am reminded quite often that temptation is a traveling partner for me. I am much older now and able to listen to the Spirit of God speak to me and warn me. I am no longer a child. I have grown up in some areas of my life. He is with me at all points of my life. The guarantee of the verse that held my attention today is my relationship with the Father. He never leaves me nor forsakes me.
All I can say today is “Thank you, Jesus!”
