He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. (Deut. 8:15)
Expanded Passage: Deuteronomy 8:1-18
A youth leader in crisis called me, An addiction he thought was behind him was now back and shaking up his marriage His anger at himself soon moved to tears because he knew he had to tell his wife. The only thing that came to mind for me was a song by Kurt Carr called “I Almost Let Go.” This song felt like a good one for us to listen to, so I played it. When it got to this part of the song, I could hear a deep sob from him. It said:
So I'm here today because God kept me
I'm alive today only because of his grace
Oh, he kept me, God kept me, he kept me
So I wouldn't let go
Not only did this young leader tell his wife, but that Sunday he went before the congregation and repented. Even through this darkness, God kept him.
When I think about what God did with his people from the wilderness to the land of Canaan, all I can think about is how God’s grace kept them. From Moses to Joshua, God kept them. From bitter water to fresh water in Elim, God kept them. From the golden calf to the giving of the ten commandments, God kept them. If he can keep them through all of that, surely his grace can keep us today.
Let God’s grace keep you so you won’t let go.
Santes Beatty is an ordained minister and serves as the director of NextGen for Church Multiplication and Discipleship of The Wesleyan Church. He loves traveling with his family, writing, cooking, and equipping leaders.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
