Never Alone

It’s something of wonder that the Almighty who threw the stars in space, and created the universe and everything in it, has promised always to be with us, and to never, never leave us. The Amplified version expresses it like this: “for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]”. No other god does this.

He, who never sleeps or slumbers, and watches over us day and night, won’t relax His hold on us. He knows the way ahead, and the pitfalls of life, and He knows exactly where we are at this moment in time. Nothing takes Him by surprise.

It is comforting and reassuring to know that our Heavenly Father is watching over us, and once we’re assured in our hearts with the knowledge that “He knows” – then we can rest in Him. We don’t have to go through life, facing life’s challenges on our own. He guards our footsteps as we trust Him.

At the beginning of time God walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and even when they were deceived by the enemy, and, as a result, chose to disobey God, He still looked out for man’s welfare. Up till then they hadn’t known what it was like to be separated from God. But He swung into action with His wonderful plan of redemption, to restore and cover man, and to teach him that he wouldn’t have to fend for himself. Adam and Eve learnt what a huge mistake it was to listen to the deceiving voice of the enemy instead of trusting and obeying God. Man wasn’t meant to walk through life’s journey alone. God has always wanted to walk with the man whom He created – and still does.

God reassured Joshua that He’d be with him as He was with Moses, so he could face Israel’s enemies. From his own experiences with God, David was able to reassure his son Solomon that God would be with him in the building of the Temple, and through life, if he chose to obey God. Before He ascended back into Heaven, when He gave the great commission to ‘Go into all the world … and make disciples’, Jesus reassured His disciples, saying “I will be with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). And God sent His Holy Spirit to be with all Jesus’s disciples, when Jesus went back into heaven, so that they’d know that God was with them through the highs and lows of life, and would equip them for the task ahead. Those same promises are for us today in our generation, for God is always faithful to His promises, and ‘He watches over His Word to perform it’ (Jeremiah 1:12).

So whatever lies ahead, we can rest in the knowledge that God is true to His Word. Know this – we’ll never walk alone, for God will never abandon us. All He asks is that we trust and obey Him.

Prayer: thank You, Heavenly Father, that Your Word will not return unto You void. You are always with us, so we can rest in You throughout life’s journey, no matter what the challenge, in Jesus’ name. Amen.