For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:16-18 NKJV)

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Every single day I am amazed at the lengths to which our God goes to renew and restore His creation. His sacrificial and ever-present love, truth, and justice are like pavers on the path He has prepared for us to walk on. He gives us all the answers to the test. He provides all the support, knowledge, and wisdom we need to live in eternal communion with Him. Yet, there are still times we drift away from the path. These times separate us from the Father and His will for our lives. I believe the drift to be very dangerous when left unaddressed. The good news is, our God does not leave any drifting unaddressed.

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The words in the passage above reveal one of my favorite attributes of God, and that is His insistence on relationship being established before anything else. Before there are ever laws, instructions, or commands, the Father establishes relationship with His people. He chooses His people, sets them apart, and puts time and energy into them. I believe this is one of the patterns to pay attention to on our Christian walk. In other words: the Father initiates, prepares us by putting His Word and Spirit in us, and then sends us to do His work. The seed of Abraham spoken of, I believe to not only be his descendants, but those of his descendants who have the Father’s Seed in their hearts, that is, the Word of God. God’s presence within us is of critical importance when we begin to drift. He teaches us to turn back to Him by changing our desires. This is the heart transplant – internalizing His Word in a heart of flesh, versus an external law written on stone. He is the One with all the answers, and when we receive Him and know Him, we become more like Him.  

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The next step in this journey is that we are able to aid others who are drifting because our Father taught us how to run the rescue mission. God sends part of Himself, His Son, to become like a man. He was tempted, suffered, and died a man’s worldly death. When we slipped away, He came to us, fulfilling the law and what was spoken through the prophets. Our God leaves the ninety-nine for the one wandering sheep. If we have truly received His Word and Spirit in our hearts, then we too are enabled by His power to come alongside our brothers and sisters if/when they drift.

Our sin, stagnation, backsliding, and drift deserve justice, and part of God’s justice is His wrath. Jesus’ life and death on Earth was propitiation for our offenses. He who knew no sin became sin and incurred wrath in our place. He demonstrated His love for us and the way we ought to live by becoming a humble servant and sacrificing Himself for His brothers and sisters. Jesus didn’t just tell us the way, He showed us the way by living it every day. We serve a God who saves us by getting in the trenches with us and teaching us how to become who we were created to be. I encourage us in this season to continue doing this work in one unified body. If we see a fellow believer drifting, I invite us to come alongside them and share in the suffering so that the path can be found again. If we ourselves know we are drifting, or our faith journey has lost some of that fire, we have a whole community of God’s children who would love nothing more than us to become vulnerable for a moment and reach out for help. Remember, the Father practices the pattern of relationship before instruction, and we can as well. This might look like gathering in fellowship, breaking bread in community, or getting out to enjoy God in His creation this summer with church friends. We have the answers to the test; let’s not overcomplicate what the Lord has taught us. May we continue to seek Him, yield to His will, and actively love and serve our neighbors. As we do so, He will continue to guide us and express Himself and His Word uniquely through each of us in His perfect timing, according to His will.

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Father, thank You for lighting the way for Your children. Jesus, thank You for calling us brothers and sisters. Thank You for Your Word and Spirit within us, and that You are transforming and restoring us so that we do not drift but obey You and walk in Your ways. Amen.