He Never Wandered Away

A prayer, a poem, and a reflection for anyone standing between darkness and light

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Giving a voice to the journey from broken to beloved. 🕊️ Today, I am sharing a piece the Lord has laid on my heart. If this message touches you today, please place a heart in the comments. It’s a small gesture that helps my writing reach more weary hearts with the hope of Jesus.

While I had wandered away from Him, He never once wandered away from me.

Hi, friend,

Thinking of you today... and how some days feel like standing between darkness and light, wondering if you can take another step.

So I wanted to share a deeply personal piece of my heart with you, first a poem born in my wilderness season while holding onto the promise that God never leaves us nor forsakes us.

And then a new prayer poem came, one for the hard days—the moments when hope feels distant, the night feels long, and your heart is weary.

If that’s where you are today, I pray these words remind you that you are not alone, and that even here, you are loved.

Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.
— Hebrews 13:5

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I WILL NEVER FORSAKE YOU
by Deborah Rutherford

My God, I left you, 
but you were never too far.

When I was lonely in lost apartments,
you prepared a Mansion.

While I was scraping pennies for food,
you provided a Banquet.

While I was running toward danger, 
you were my safety net.

As I sought other gods,
you were my one true God.

When I collapsed in disgrace, 
you loved me anyway.

When I cried about my baby,
you took her up to Heaven.

When I spiraled in despair,
you were there.

Your arms were never too far away. 
Your Love hung in the air—
your fingerprints everywhere,
as you held me close.

You were always knocking,
hoping I would hear 
and open up the door.

You were always sending me 
heavenly glimpses
to unlock my heart,
still my fears, 
and cease my striving will. 

Lost in my pain, 
I thought I was alone, 
only to find I wasn’t.
And though my heart bled loneliness,
your love was battling for my soul all along.

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BETWEEN DARKNESS AND LIGHT

So many of you are writing to me about how you see yourself in the pages of my book, and that seeing me come through what I did gives you the hope to believe you can too.

And that’s why I wrote this book. Yes, there were times when I wanted to run from sharing the shadowed places of my life. But what gave me the courage to write them was seeing how Jesus redeemed those places—and how now I can share these poems of light with you.

On our darkest days—and even on the days when we think we are doing just fine—we need to cling to the assurance of His presence.

So in that spirit, here is my new prayer poem.

On the Cusp
A Prayer Poem for the Hard Days
by Deborah Rutherford

“Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, 
I will help you, 
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

 — Isaiah 41:10

There will be days when you think it's all over—
but it's not.
Jesus is still right beside you.
There will be times when you think your pain is too much to bear—
but it's not.
Even this sorrow, Jesus knows.
There will be days when it seems night has gone on forever—
but it hasn't.
The morning will come.
When you are afraid that you can't handle another day,
I want you to know that you can.
You may say,
"You don't know my whole story.
What was done to me.
What I did."
And I say,
"Me too."
And God still loves me.
And He is still right here with me.
Right there between dark and light,
between death and life,
between hopelessness and hope,
is Jesus.
Ready to take your hand.
I'm not going to tell you to just do it
or get over it.
But I will tell you this:
It is in this moment of our frailty
that we have the beautiful opportunity
to accept the Lord's love,
His strength,
His comfort,
and His peace.
"Do not fear."
For Jesus is with you.
Step across the cusp into the light.
There's hope.
There's joy.
And He will carry you.
I just want you to know:
You can make it through.

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."
 — Psalm 30:5

THE MIRACLE OF LOOKING BACK

I know how difficult that journey is. These pages are for you—to bring comfort, hope, and the reminder that you are seen, not alone, and that you too can make it through.

My prayer is that these words encourage you on those days when you may feel adrift, weary, or far from home. No one is ever too far gone to be found by God.

Looking back on writing my debut poetry collection, Prodigal Daughter, I can see (with so much gratitude and joy) that His promise was true: He never left nor forsook me, then or now.

It has been a month since Prodigal Daughter debuted into the world. Arriving here after two years of writing—and a lifetime of living its story—has stirred so many emotions within me.

One is a deep sense of wonder at God’s goodness and good plan. As I wrote these poems, I witnessed His restoring work in my life and the beauty He can bring from even our most difficult seasons.

And you see, the miracle of looking back that astounds me every day is this: while I wandered, He never once wandered away from me. Through every tear and every cry, He was there—quietly sending love songs, keeping me tethered, and wooing me home.

This truth is for you too. God never left you—not in your wandering, not in your waiting, not in your wilderness.

May you find a friend to walk with in the pages of Prodigal Daughter. It is a companion for every soul coming home to His love.

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MY HEART TO YOURS

I would love to hear from you in the comments:

When you look back on your life, where do you see that God never left nor forsook you? And if there is something you need a prayer for, please let me know in the comments. Because I’m finding that this is how we get through life—together.

And if you’d like to join in on the conversation on Instagram with “On the Cusp: A Prayer Poem for the Hard Days.”

With love,
Deborah 🕊️✨🌿

Author of Prodigal Daughter

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CURATED HOPE: SPRINGING INTO SUMMER READING & RESOURCES LIST

NEW BOOKS RELEASED THIS WEEK: CONGRATULATIONS Nichole J Suvar and Eve Harrell

Nichole J Suvar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I Don’t Have To Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling Overwhelmed. This is a beautiful and needed book to calm our anxious hearts and soothe our weary minds. From beginning to end, author Nichole invites us into the peace of Eden that God offers us on this side of heaven. She reminds us that though the world may be telling us we have to hold it all together, God says, "No, you don't," because He is the One holding it all together. Through seven truths from the first garden, you will learn how to cultivate the peace of Eden.

Eve Harrell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐new novel, Revealed Hope: A Journey for Such a Time as This is a moving and hope-filled Christian fiction story for teen readers and beyond. Eve creates characters that truly come alive on the page, especially Maddie Ruth Bennett, whose courage and faith shine through every challenge she faces.

I especially enjoyed the realistic dialogue and the contemporary setting that moves between the American South and Israel. The themes of faith, perseverance, and standing firm in difficult times were woven naturally into the story and made it even more impactful.

Karla Lewellyn recently opened invitations for ARC readers for her forthcoming narrative memoir, Uncommonly Common: On Resilience, Waiting Rooms, and Breast Cancer Levity. I signed up immediately because I deeply admire Karla’s writing and cannot wait to read it.

I also wanted to share something that has been helping me learn and grow as an author: the Authority Book Academy. It has encouraged me as I continue learning how to steward the stories and message God has entrusted to me. These are my affiliate links.

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