In November 2019, Toby Mac’s 21-year-old son, Truett Foster McKeehan passed away. It was in that moment of great despair and sorrow that Toby Mac had to decide what he was going to place his trust in. Sitting down, with a Bible before him, he had an honest and heartfelt moment with God.
Toby Mac shared with GodTV his struggle of simply reading the Bible after the loss of his son. “I got about halfway through the Old Testament…And I didn’t really have the heart to keep reading, so I put it down,” he said.
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When depression starts to creep its way through the door, concentrating on praying or reading the Word of God feels impossible. Your mind is scattered, you can barely form cohesive thoughts and yet you just need to hear God’s voice. Depression will put its hand out to you, tempting you to stop trusting in God.
“I looked up at God, and I told Him, ‘I’m going to give You a chance.’ That’s pretty bold to say to the God of all creation, you know what I’m saying? But I said that,” Toby Mac shared. “And I kept reading. And I learned something about relationships. You see, you can’t have a relationship with anyone if you’re not talking to them and they’re not talking to you. You can’t have a relationship if you’re not listening to them, and they’re not listening to you,” he says.
In the book of Hebrews chapter 11, we read about the great heroes of the faith. Abraham, when he was called by God moved to live in a foreign land by faith knowing God told him he was going to receive an inheritance. He lived in a little tent in the promised land, as did Isaac and Jacob. In faith, Joseph in his final days referred to the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave instructions for the burial of his bones. By faith, Moses endured the hardship of the people of God rather than partaking in the luxurious life he would have had with Pharaoh.
All of these heroes had promises from God. They died before receiving the tangible results of those promises but they anticipated them and saw them coming from a distance. Sometimes during our walk with God, we may not understand why God allowed certain events to take place in our lives. It is through faith that we put our trust in the eternal truth, knowing that what we go through can be used for the glory of God.
“So I kept going. And there’s something beautiful that I learned that comes with having a relationship with God. You see, He makes us these promises. And the promise that I’ve been hanging on [to] for the last few years is this: God promised that if we have a relationship with Him, He will never leave us or forsake us. … He might not change what happened. He might not make everything different. But He doesn’t go away,” Toby Mac says.
The simple truth that God will never leave you or forsake you reveals the very nature of His heart. In a sermon, Jonathan Edward once told children, “There is no love so great and so wonderful as that which in the heart of Christ. He is one that delights in mercy; He is ready to pity those that are in suffering and sorrowful circumstances; one that delights in the happiness of His creatures.”
Whatever Goliath is standing before you today, remember that you have a God who will never leave you or forsake you. He is standing right beside you with His arms wide open ready to defeat the giant standing before you if you will allow Him. He doesn’t go away.
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Shelby Bowen is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.
