There aren’t many things in life that we can count on to always be around. Jobs change, loved ones pass, friendships end, and even memories begin to fade. With all of the uncertainty that life has to offer, there is one thing that we can always rely on. We will never be abandoned by God’s love, His watchful eye over us, and His desire to walk with us throughout this life on Earth until we meet Him in Heaven.
We have free will and the ability to decide if we will receive His love, leading, and partnership. He is always ready with open arms to take us in and celebrate when the prodigal returns. Even so, do you still have trouble believing there is security in God?
Here are 10 reasons you can be sure that God will never leave you nor abandon you.
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1. He Was the First on the Scene
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
This is the first verse of the Bible. Before there were people, animals, water, and light, there was God. Knowing this gives me peace when I feel like the world is spinning out of control. He is the glue that holds everything together. We are made in His image. As the disciple John so eloquently reminds us in John 1:1-5,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
God is our light, our first breath, our blood that runs through our veins. He will not abandon His creation.
2. His Record with Others
From the very beginning we see how God has a record of being with His people. He instructed Adam and Eve, tested the faith of Abraham, and later told Jacob that a nation and a community of nations would come from him.
By witnessing God’s faithfulness to others, we can be assured that the same God will be faithful to us.
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3. He Loves Us
God loves His children. We know this because He sent His one and only Son to save the world through His death and resurrection. So why do we think He would leave us? If we, as imperfect humans, can understand a sliver of what true love really feels like, then how much more does the perfect love from our Father cover over us?
The parables of the prodigal son and the lost sheep are just a few examples of God’s deep love for us. They both show how we are the ones that tend to leave, abandon, and go astray—but God always stays, steadfast and true, ready for us with open arms.
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Matthew 15:4)
4. He Has a Plan
While we walk the path God has for each of us, we can be sure as believers that He has a good plan for our lives. Jesus and his disciples instructed us on how to live lives of contentment and use our gifts for God’s glory. In Hebrews 13:5 we are reminded to keep our lives “free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
Being content in what I have, focusing on my treasure in Heaven, reminds me that God is always by my side to instruct and encourage me because I know that “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 ).
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5. Holy Spirit Is inside Us
As a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, I know that I am carrying the Holy Spirit inside of me. Because the Holy Spirit is a part of the Trinity and He lives inside of me, God is always with me. There is so much joy and fullness found by resting in the knowledge and confidence that God is within us.
This knowledge brings Psalms 51 to life: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalms 51:10-12)
6. He Is Not Human
So many of our fears of being left behind come from our experiences with imperfect humans, including ourselves. Good thing for us, we are reminded in Numbers 23:19 that, “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” I am grateful that although our ability to love unconditionally is faulty, our God is not like us and has the ability to stay steadfast in love with each one of us through thick and thin.
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7. He Is Preparing a Place for Us
When Jesus hung on the cross, one of the criminals hanging near him came to the realization that Jesus had done nothing wrong. The man asked Jesus to remember him when He entered His Kingdom, and Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
This gives me comfort when I think of how glorious heaven will be and how we can look forward to enjoying all of eternity with our Savior. We have an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5).
How special it is to realize that at this very moment there is a space for you and me being prepared to spend eternity in glory.
8. He Promises to Be with Us Always
Throughout that Bible we see the promise of God’s presence in the lives of his followers. In Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses reminds Joshua of God’s leading. “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.”
Jesus reminds us in Matthew 18:20 that when we gather He is there. “‘For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.’”
The Great Commission is a final exclamation point of Christ’s presence with us as we lead others to Him, “...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
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9. He Is the Beginning and the End
If you ever doubt God’s presence, take a look at who He says He is, particularly in Revelation, the book that tells the final chapters of creation’s story: ““I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”” (Revelation 1:8)
Everything starts with God, and everything ends with Him. We have. a promise that we will live in heaven for all eternity with our Lord and Savior when we put our faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be a new Heaven and a new Earth, and we will be a family together in worship and in truth. God will not abandon the plans He has for us. He already knows the end and He can't wait to meet us there.
10. Our Part in the Relationship
By now we have seen many reminders as to how we can have trust in the fact that God will never abandon us. The last point I wanted to bring up is a more personal one. When you communicate with a friend or loved one that builds a relationship. When God speaks to us, our relationship continues to grow. What we need to ask ourselves is, “Are we speaking to God?” Are you taking the time to listen to Him? Are you digging into the Word and building your prayer life? Are you a part of a community of believers using your gifts and loving those around you? As it is true in human relationships, we will get from it what we also put into it. God is a constant. Are we being consistent to Him? I pray this encourages you to see the part you have in the beautiful relationship that He wants to have with you, His precious child.
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Originally published Wednesday, 16 September 2020.
