I Will Never Leave You

God's promise of his permanent presence

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Joshua 1:5

Perhaps the most comforting words in this Christian walk are that God will never leave us. He is love, he is peace, he is justice and mercy and goodness. But he could have set it up where he was all that but also flaky and inconsistent.

However, God has made it clear throughout human history that he is here for the long haul. He will never leave us.

I thought of this early morning when considering ways I feel that God is slow to answer prayers or just not clear enough for me. He led me to this verse above in Joshua. I love that it starts with the protection of “no one will be able to stand against you” and ends with God by our side in the midst of whatever we’re going through. As a follow-up to “Help!” Is also a Prayer,” knowing that God answers that with a promise never to leave us is almost a permanent answer to “help!”

So why does he promise this?

Because he paid the price to die for humanity and bring us back to life. As Professor John Lennox asked during his compelling speech making the case for Christianity and God at the Oxford Union, “What is God doing on a cross?” Because we were hopelessly lost to sin and evil, Jesus was on a cross, knowing that we would need him forever, and so he would need to be with us forever. Then, he opened the door to the Father for a permanent relationship, reiterating before his ascension that "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God’s staying power is a comfort in times of trouble, especially if you feel alone, abandoned, or misunderstood. God will never leave you. I love that we serve a God who does not need to be appeased to remain with us in this new dispersion of grace.

I will never leave you.

Very comforting words indeed. ❤️