I will never leave you, never forsake you

In this age of temporary structures and temporary relationships it's good to know that our Lord does not ever leave us. The other day I was working on Joshua chapter 1 and was reminder how precious this verse is:

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. 1.5

As the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan, with Joshua at the helm, they needed to know that Yahweh, they God they worshipped, was with them, and would never leave them. In the context of this passage it assures them of future victories in battle, as they took on the Canaanites. For us, we can be sure that whatever we have to face, the Lord will be with us.

There's a really good scene in the Netflix series Shtisel, where Ruchami is reassured by her fiance Hanina that he will never leave her. She had been worried that, just as her father left her mother (but later returned, cap in hand), Hanina would one day leave her. He promises her he will never do that. 'Praise God' she responds, 'God willing!' This is a positive reinforcement for her, not a cop-out. God always wills that a couple will remain together, all things being well. A chord of three strands is not easily broken. God is with us in our marriages as well as the rest of life. But our previous experiences of fatherhood can let us down and feel ill at ease, worried that God, or our husband, might be like our father. How verses like Joshua 1.5 can reassure us! Remember, God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. He always remains faithful to his word, and loyal to us.

For further reading: Joshua chapter 1.

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