A WORD FOR TODAY, November 13, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
We pray you have been blessed by this daily devotion. If you received it from a friend, you can see other devotions and studies by visiting our website at www.awordfortoday.org.
Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, November 13, 2025
“At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear. So I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:16-18, WEB
George Matheson was a 19th century Scottish pastor and hymn writer. He started going blind when he was a teenager, but that did not stop him from accomplishing great things. He went to school for theology with the help of his sisters. They learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew so that they could help him study. He was a gifted preacher, able to memorize the scriptures and his sermons. Many who heard him never knew he was blind. Yet, despite his success and the love of his family, George knew heartache. He was engaged to a young lady, but she refused to marry him when he went blind. He was heartbroken and so hurt by the rejection that he never married. Even though he was happy when his sister found a husband, her joy reminded him of his pain. The only consolation he found was God’s presence.
His suffering led to the writing of the hymn, “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.” He said, “It was composed with extreme rapidity; it seemed to me that its construction occupied only a few minutes, and I felt myself rather in the position of one who was being dictated to than of an original artist. I was suffering from extreme mental distress, and the hymn was the fruit of pain.”
It is an unfortunate consequence of the human condition that people are often self-centered and unable to handle difficult situations. It is easier to walk away from struggles than to deal with them. Too many marriages fall apart because it is hard to deal with the challenges of life like illness. With Veterans day this week, we are reminded that the service member is not the only one who sacrifices, the spouses and families do also. Sadly, many families fall apart because they can’t deal with deployments. Marriages fall apart for many different reasons, but too many do not know how to survive the trials of life. It is heartbreaking for the one left behind, because they are not only dealing with the pain and suffering of their trouble, but they have to do it alone. It is no wonder that George never trusted anyone to love again.
There are some who are blessed to realize that even though the world has abandoned them, they are never left alone. Like George, they know there is one greater than man who is faithful in all things. Knowing that God would not leave him, George was able to write these words, “O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.”
We may never be abandoned as George and Paul experienced, but human relationships are fragile. The ties that bind us are not as strong as we would like and a minor disagreement or a life-changing disease can break those connections. People will break our hearts, and it is difficult to recover from the rejection that leads to brokenness. It is especially difficult when they leave us when we need them the most. George and Paul remind us that we are never alone. Just when we think we cannot survive, when our loneliness is overwhelming, and the suffering is more than we can bear, God makes His presence known and brings us through the storm. Whatever your trials, the Lord is near, giving you strength and courage to face the difficulty of your life. You are never alone.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.