Written by: Katie Hansen
God’s Word is so awesome! I love when God uses the same verse to speak powerful truth into my life over and over again. It reminds me of the ways He has promised to be faithful and has proven that faithfulness over the years!
Growing up, I learned Hebrews 13:5-6 as an assurance verse. “…“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” This verse reminded me that God would never leave me. I didn’t have to worry about losing my salvation or going through life alone once I had become His child. It was always a comforting verse!
During my Bible School years, I was reading through Hebrews as a course assignment, and when I came to this verse in context, it blew me away! “….be content with such things as you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you….’ “. I was going through a difficult year. I had broken up with my boyfriend, my family was going through a time of brokeness and even my close friends seemed to be “leaving” me. I felt alone and abandoned. But that night as I sat at my desk eating candy corn, the words practically jumped off the page at me! I could be content, simply because God was with me and would never leave me! So simple yet so profound! I clung to that verse after that!
A few years later, I came across it again in the Amplified version. It’s now my favorite “version” of this verse: “…being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!” Amazing right?! Not only will He be there always, He won’t leave me without support or let go of me! I have experienced this in my life over the years through sickness and multiple moves, through family struggles, through anxiety and even recently as my grandparents have gone to be with the Lord. He’s always there. He’s always holding me.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t struggle though. Recently from lack of sleep (toddler mom life), I have been battling intense anxiety again. Last year was a tough year for our family and at the end of the year my husband was laid off. New jobs, house hunting in this crazy market and just life in general felt like too much at times. One day as I was lamenting about the fact that my husband’s recent job change made it impossible for us to buy a house this year, God spoke this verse in my heart. I was buckling my girls into the car to go run an errand after naptime. I had spent the whole naptime frustrated and upset that we were not going to be able to buy a house any time soon and would have to continue renting and commuting. Then this verse was like a salve to my heart. It was like God was saying, ” Katie, be content…..because I am here with you. I am providing for all your needs. You have a safe, affordable home for your family. And I have blessed you with this car, so that you can be free to visit family and friends and run errands.” That was it, but it blew me away. I realized that I was so blessed! We had always been a one car family and it had become a struggle for me during the pandemic lockdowns. I felt stuck at home, pregnant and with a small toddler. I had become very depressed. And even after things started opening up and we were able to get out and do things, I struggled with a then newborn and toddler. Then last Fall as we were house hunting, God made it clear to us that we should pay off our car and purchase a second car for me. This has helped me tremendously! And I was reminded to just be content. I have so much to be thankful for. Even if it is “just” that God is always with me!
