He Will Not Desert You

"They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them." Nehemiah 9:17

I love this verse in Nehemiah which is referring to the children of Israel. They were always rebelling and turning away from God despite the mighty miracles they had seem Him perform, yet God forgave them, was compassionate, patient, and it says "you did not desert them." It almost sounds like Nehemiah feels that they should have been deserted, and human love would have given up on them. The reason God's love is so hard for us to understand is because it is unconditional. While God's blessings are conditional, His love is not. I think we sometimes confuse ourselves with God's blessings and God's love. While God may not always be at liberty to pour His blessings on us, He will always love us. It doesn't matter if we fail to do the right thing or fail to remember how he brought us through the last trial, He is always patient and loving. As much as I love my children, I cannot say that I am always abounding in patient love for them. It is so amazing that God's love is so great, so massive, that it will never run out, never end, never fail--He will never desert me!