Do you find it difficult spending time in your Bible’s Old Testament?  Books like Samuel and Kings and Chronicles?  I used to feel that way until I just decided to spend more time in that Old Testament neighborhood.  Not avoiding it but digging a little deeper, spending more time in that first part of my Bible and even restudying some of my very rusty Hebrew language from Princeton Seminary days!  After all, the Old Testament has such great stories, so many amazing characters, good guidance for living, and some verses you’ll want to memorize, I’m sure.  I was reading today in 2 Samuel chapter 14.  Why not read it yourself and then key in on verse 14–‘But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him.’  Isn’t that neat? I love that verse from God’s Word.   Now, the context here is King David estranged from his son Absalom while some others are trying to get them back together, an effort at reconciliation between father and son.  But read that verse again.  Primarily, the verse is referring not to a father and son, but first-and-foremost to reconciliation with God Himself.  ‘…not remain estranged from Him.’  See what I  mean? Being reconciled to God, having peace with Him.   And that’s exactly where we worry the most.  Don’t we?  Children, grandchildren, siblings, a parent, dear friends who seem to have no relationship with the Lord,  who could care less about Him, and we know exactly what the outcome of that kind of life will be for them… forever.  And that just bothers me to no end, especially since I know that I haven’t done everything possible to lay out the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all in my family and all our friends over the years. Not at all.  Have you?   Back to 2 Samuel 14:14–now, this verse gives me great hope.  Not for a moment am I off the hook in praying and sharing with those I love.  But what’s paramount is not my efforts, but what God is doing in their lives.  Read it yet again…it says that He’ll never stop reaching out to them. He’ll never stop finding ways and people and strange situations where they’ll need to seek Him for He’s never really far away from anyone of them or us.  He’s ‘devising ways’ so that they will not be estranged from Him.  Oh, I can relax a bit more.  I can depend on God’s reaching my loved ones, your loved ones.  Yes, yours also; yours ,of course.  He’s knocking on the door of their hearts every single day.  That you can depend on.  That is a promise right here in the Old Testament, like a gem mined deep from inside the ground of God’s being. That is something you can hang your hat on!  Pray…share…and do it all over again knowing that our Lord is working all kinds of ways to bring our loved ones to Him, just like He did with you…and me!  Thank you, Lord…!