“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” Isaiah 46:4

He Carries Us

I want to share with you a childhood memory that has become very dear to me.

It was summertime and I was about five years old. My brothers and I were making our way over several feet of river rock to reach a favorite swimming hole. These rocks had gotten way too hot for my poor bare feet, so my older brother (ten years my senior) scooped me up and carried me safely down to the water. I distinctly remember clinging tightly to his neck while looking down at those torturous rocks and loving him all the more for “taking the heat” for me!

What a great picture of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Just as God upheld and carried His people Israel centuries ago, He still does the same for us today. And though He does new things, God Himself doesn’t change—He is “the same, yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He has always carried me, even in my earliest days before I knew Him. What an image in my mind of how Jesus “took the heat” for me, causing me to love Him all the more.

Looking back over my BC (Before Christ) years, I now realize just how many times and ways the Lord protected me from my self-destructive choices and lifestyle. I had no idea back then how He led and guided me all along with His faithful love and tender mercies, while allowing me to feel just enough “heat” so I would see my need for Him.

He always has and always will keep His eye on us. He always has and always will rescue us. He always has and always will carry us, even to our old age and gray hairs! Hallelujah, what a Savior!

“Father, my heart swells with gratitude for the many ways You have shown Yourself to me as my Savior and Deliverer, carrying and loving me so tenderly and sacrificially. I can love You because You first loved me and gave Yourself for me!”