She goes to visit Europe for the summer. She's kidnapped.
Sold into slavery, hope seems gone.
And it would have been…except for her father.
She sobs into his arms, "You came for me." His reply is stunningly simple, the only words a father who loves his daughter enough to die for her could say, "I told you I would."
My heart resonated with those words. I thought of a time I'd been bound by struggles daily draining the joy from my heart. And then, suddenly, it was over.
Rescued.
Redeemed.
After my sheer relief began to pass, questions bubbled to the surface of my soul. Yes, I felt grateful. But I also wondered, "Why didn't you answer my prayers? What were you doing? Where were you?"
And much like the father in Taken, it seemed He whispered to my heart, "All that time I was coming for you."
There's a lot more to the story than the scene I described. And much of it is about what the girl's father goes through on her behalf. It's astounding. Yet from her perspective, it seems nothing is happening.
We can feel the same. When life closes in, grows dark, and our fears drag us away it can seem as if we've been forgotten or even abandoned.
But let me assure you, God is already coming for you.
Right now. This very moment.
It's the real joy of Easter.
Jesus came for us.
He will come again.
And most of all, He is always coming for us right in the middle of our messy lives.
If a cross didn't stop Him then, we can be sure He will stop at nothing now. And His heart only needs two stunningly simple reasons to do so–
We are His daughters and He told us He would.
p.s. While most of us will never endure the horror of slavery, it's an issue women throughout the world still face. Understanding is the first step toward helping. To hear one woman's story, read The Slave Across the Street: The True Story of How an American Teen Survived the World of Human Trafficking.
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SUCH powerful and encouraging words!
“Jesus came for us. He will come again. And most of all, He is always coming for us right in the middle of our messy lives.” –> Praise the Lord! The redeeming love of Christ is so extravagantly enveloping. Thanks for being faithful and letting Him speak through you.
“If a cross didn’t stop Him then, we can be sure He will stop at nothing now. And His heart only needs two stunningly simple reasons to do so–
We are His daughters and He told us He would.”
I can hardly see to type through my tears. Thank you, once again, Holley, for reminding me of something I too often forget. He will rescue me.
I’ve seen Taken several times (my husband loves that movie!) so I knew exactly what you were talking about. What a great analogy! When I feel distance from God I try to remind myself that he is working on my behalf all the while. This comparison brings home that point so well. Thank you.
“And most of all, He is always coming for us right in the middle of our messy lives.”
Ahhhh. Thank you so much. For reminding me. He promised. No matter what.
What a powerful way to start the day. just when we think we are alone, there He is, always coming for us. it reimnds me of the footprints in the sand. when my heart gets heavy, i know that i have a saviour that will never forget me.
Greetings in Jesus’ Name:
As I read this posting, I was reminded of the movie, “Finding Nemo.”
He was in a bad situation and didn’t believe his dad, who he
thought to be afraid of the ocean, would come.
All the while, unknown to Nemo, his dad was going though a great
deal to get to his son.
It is so good to know, “He is always coming for us.” Praise Him!
Thank you for sharing this, Holley! God bless you richly!
Holley, the words you wrote: “. . . When life closes in, grows dark, and our fears drag us away, it can seem as if we’ve been forgotten or even abandoned. But let me assure you, God is already coming for you. . .” touched me deeply as I wander in the darkness of marital abandonment and threats of my children being taken from me. I pray to grow in trust and confidence that the Lord is there for me, that He is “coming for me.” God bless you, Holley, for all your words of support and encouragement. I feel so blessed to have found Heart To Heart.
Here is the website of a wonderful organization that ties in with your piece today, and that we may all wish to support: http://www.sharedhope.org/ Their Mission Statement: “Shared Hope International exists to rescue and restore women and children in crisis. We are leaders in a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking and slavery through education and public awareness.” God bless you all. May you have a blessed Easter!
There are so many of these types of stories in life. Each one is heart rending. He is coming? Hmmmm… The thing I think about when I contemplate this reality in life is that there is evil in the world. God gives us all freedom of choice. He is not the puppet master pulling the strings. He is waiting for us to turn to Him and live the life He intended. Not all make the choice to follow Him. Some follow the darkness. Some follow the light. We all see through a glass darkly. Somethings we will not understand until we meet Him face to face. All I know is that He loves us so much He will not take away our freedom of choice. He made us after His own likeness (Gen. 1:57) just a little lower than God (Psalm 8:5). As hard as it is, we live with these rules. We all suffer from the evil in the world and it hurts. God grieves also and sometimes it does seem He does nothing. During WWII, Jews were slaughtered in horrible ways, but He was coming and eventually Hitler was stopped. As for human trafficking, I know He is coming with this one also. I know of a minister in my city who works with an agency in DC to help find and rescue young women caught in this evil snare. We have to always be vigilant against evil. It lurks in places we would not believe…sometimes even in our midst. I try not to concentrate on the evil but to be wary. There is evil, but there is good as well. I believe the goodness will prevail in the end.
I’m struggling so much right now. I feel this huge battle raging inside and all around me. I keep looking for Him but I can’t sense Him anywhere. It’s not a good feeling.
I stand on His promises though that He will never leave me nor forsake me and He knows the plans He has for me. I am His and He is mine.
I pray I find the peace which transcends all understanding and I can capture the joy that I seem to have misplaced.
Amen! What a powerful reminder of God’s promise as we approach Easter.
Thanks Holley!
You are such a sister heart, Holley. Oh…I so needed this post today…thank you.
Oh my gosh!!! It is way to easy to forget about these things happening as we sit in our comfy living rooms. Thank you for the reminder. And what an incredible way of reminding us of God’s redeeming love!!!
Joyfully in Jesus,
Mary Joy
This is a wonderful post, Holley. Thank you.
SO awesome, Holley Gerth!!!!
Great comparision, friend 🙂 Love it!
I wanna stand at the window with my nose pressed up against it until He comes. I know he will be here I tell myself and others. How freeing to know though that He wants us to continue on expecting Him any minute. Awesome!
So appropriate having seen the movie. Thank you.
I feel it. I’ve felt a real “shifting” in my soul lately as does my husband. And I know God is coming for me to show me something special – just tailored for us.
Thank God we can rely on Him and His promises.
Living, He loved me. Dying, he saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising. He justified, freely forever. One day He’s coming…oh glorious day!
as I travel the US and share my past, become vulnerable again and relive the horror, but this time with a purpose, I am continuallly renewed by His love for me. So many times I get asked by audience members if I have seen Taken. I always answer the same. “I dont have to. I lived it” And I never had a dad like that. No one ever came to save me. BUT I know now that HE was always with me. And now, more than ever, I feel His love. I know now that He will Always come back for me. Because finally, I am right where I belong, in the Light and the Truth.
Holley – I cannot think of a more fitting message. It is exactly what I needed to be reminded of. I have felt that same abandonment – trying desperately to hang on while wondering why He wouldn’t answer. He has called me to trust – but that trust is rooted in all that He is – and that makes all the difference.
Thank you for this sweet girl.
I just want to say Thank you so very much for this you will never know how much this means to me as I walk through my own dark time now. I really needed to hear that He is coming for me. Thank you again.
Holly
Holley, You are moving me to tears (again). “We are His daughters and He told us He would.” So powerful because it is so true. God does not forget and He does follow through!
Happy Easter, lovely lady. Blessings to you and yours!
Sometimes it seems that my world is standing still or clinging too hard to the past. Thanks for the reminder to look forward, Holley. I really really needed this today.
The King is coming!
Holley, thank you for such an amazing reminder of our Father’s love for us.
“If a cross didn’t stop Him then, we can be sure He will stop at nothing now. And His heart only needs two stunningly simple reasons to do so–We are His daughters and He told us He would.” had me tearing up.
Thank you Holley and Happy Easter