peace . love . joy

Did you know that the phrase:
"I will never leave you nor forsake you"
appears four times in the Bible?

How familiar we are with that favoured passage! I, myself, have used it quite a few times and have had it quoted to me too. And very often, the quote usually starts with "I (or God) will never" and ends with "forsake you".

Today, I was led to this statement again.

But so what if God promises to never leave us nor forsake us?
So what if it's repeated four times in the Bible?
How do we react to such a declaration of faithfulness?
Do we need to?
Do we simply nod and say "thanks, God, now remember me!" and that's it?
Is it a mere promise, an unretractable clause that we can wave in God's face every time we feel down and out?

Reader, those words are not just words, they are not a printed and unfeeling and inconsequential series of alphabets; they are worth a thousand times more than your weight in gold! And God knew that when He said it and let it be written, forever stamped in the pages of His Truth, our Sword.

You see, God knows, from the beginning of time, that every single one of us, each person, from the oldest sage to the youngest babe, all will face trying times. Temptation saunters by, undulating her hips and licking her lips, teasing us. Tests of our faith and trust meet us like a brick wall that goes on forever to the left and to the right, making us meet it head on with no chance of escape. Giants of fear and terror grow fast and tall like mushrooms, shaking our world beneath their heavy, stomping feet. God knows. And that is why He promised us what He promised us.

The first time, (Deuteronomy 31) Moses said to Israel that he longer could lead them because he was old. But still, they were to cross the Jordan and inherit the land God has said He would give them. They will not be led by their proven leader, and mighty nations stand in their way. And Moses said "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." For where Moses leaves them, Joshua will rise up. And where Moses cannot go before them, the LORD will make safe their path.

Then, turning to Joshua, that strapping young lad, Moses says "Be strong and courageous... The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

After Moses had died, the LORD himself came to Joshua (Joshua 1), Moses' aide, telling him to get ready, to get ready to cross the Jordan River, to get ready to conquer and inherit the land they were promised. And He says "No one will be able to stand up 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."

In Hebrews 13, the writer extols us to not be swayed by the ways of the world, to not harbour a spirit of covetousness, to instead be content because God had said "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." And so we can say with confidence "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

When we, like the Israel of old, are faced with uncertainty and fear,
When we, like Joshua, are pushed to the fore, are tasked with a mindbogglingly colossal task,
When we are instructed to keep pure our ways, to keep content our circumstance,

We are explicitly assured of God's continued and undistracted presence and attention.
Because that is when we need to hear it again and again the most.

Such assurance grants us the badges of bravery, of courage and of confidence, grants us the sustenance of perseverance.

We claim it all because we are reminded, surely and undeniably, of our hope, of our trust, of our faith, of our allegiance in the Sovereign One.
He is everywhere at once. "Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there"
He is all powerful. He made the day and the night, the land and the sea, the stars in the sky and the air that we breathe. He calms the storm, feeds the thousand, clothes the lilies of the field and feeds the birds of the sky. He conquered death. He is Life. He alone holds dominion over all.

That is why we are strong and courageous.
That is why we are brave and not discouraged.
That is why we can say with confidence ""The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Therefore, beloved of the LORD,
"Be strong and very courageous.
Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified;
do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

~ Joshua 1: 7-9