The God Who Carries You

The inspirational poem “Footprints” recounts a person’s conversation with God about his sojourn through life. After noticing that the two sets of footprints that the traveler and the Lord make dwindle to one set at a time of trouble, the traveler asks the Lord why He apparently departed at the sojourner’s hour of greatest need.

The lines of God’s response are well-known: He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you; never, ever, during your trials and testing. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

The idols to which faithless Israel ran for help needed to be carried. They were portable and pliable, and they could not keep themselves from being carried into captivity with Israel. They even had to hitch rides on beasts of burden. They were helpless.

In stark contrast, the Lord reveals Himself to be the One who carries those who worship Him. He takes responsibility to be the strength and support of Israel, not the other way around. Unlike manmade idols, which are carved by people, set in their locations by people, mute, and unable to save, the Lord has been the maker, keeper, and sustainer of His people. And He will faithfully keep His promise to carry His people throughout all our trials.

Our idols today remain weak and worthless. Whether we secretly worship wealth, the success of our children, the happiness of our marriages, or our health, we must choose the idol and keep it propped up in our lives. None of these things will ever satisfy our deepest needs. But the Lord Jesus, the one true God who is the way, the truth, and the life, offers us His power to carry us (John 14:6).

Pray with Us

Please add the rest of Moody Radio’s Program Production team to your prayer list: Amy Rios, Joel Swan, Ryan McConnaughay, and Steven Tabor. Thank the Lord for this team’s contribution to Moody Radio’s ministry of spreading God’s Word.

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).