God Is with You—and for You

‘God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'” (Hebrews 13:5)

It was one of those crazy mornings when it seemed the more I did, the further I fell behind. Breakfast was in process, work emails were piling up, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing, and the kids were making the living room a mess like it was their job. In the chaos, I picked up my then-one-year-old son and, as though he knew I just needed more noise in my life, he slammed his little face into my collarbone and let out a shriek of pain.

Tears streamed down my boy’s face, and I put everything else aside to comfort him. My immediate prayer was something like, Really, God? Now why did this happen? Like I need something else this morning. It was then I noticed something in my son’s mouth that didn’t belong there. Behind his front teeth was a small toy. Had he not been crying, I would never have discovered that he had put the choking hazard of a toy into his mouth—perhaps until it was too late. My prayer quickly became, Thank you, Jesus.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). These were the words Moses spoke to the people of Israel before Joshua was to lead them into the promised land. But the author of Hebrews repeated this same truth to the New Testament community of believers, of which you and I are a part (see Hebrews 13:5).

At times, your life may seem to be spiraling out of control. But we don’t serve an indifferent, uncaring God. He wants to be intimately involved in your life—and He’s always right there with you. He promised.