Isaiah 41:9-10 "[Y]ou whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, 'You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off '; fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you I will help you I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

God is asking the Israelites to remember what He has done for them. He called them from the ends of the earth and made them His special people. Do they really think that He will ever abandon them?

We are now 2,000 years past the time when God sent His only begotten Son to be one of us, to teach us, to suffer horribly for us, and to die for us. Having sacrificed that much for us, do we really think God will abandon us?

I know many people right now who are feeling a bit hopeless, bordering even on despair. For years they have been comforting themselves with trust in God's plan, hope in His promise, but the journey, and the losses along the way, have taken their toll. It feels like there is no end in sight, nothing they can see on which to pin their hopes. But that is us thinking that human beings are in control. We're not, God is, and He has made promises to us that He will never break.

Just because we can't see the way forward doesn't mean that there isn't one. When the time and conditions are right, God will lead us there, just as he led the Israelites out of slavery after they suffered under its yoke for 400 years. It is always darkest before the dawn, but dawn is coming. He has promised us, and He has already done unfathomable things for us. Think back on them and remember that He will not abandon us.