What a Promise!

To every true believer who is trusting in Christ alone, a wonderful promise is given: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13: 5.

This alone is a promise that ought to comfort us through our journey through life, but there is much more to this than what lies on the surface.

Loved ones promise to each other all sorts of things at certain times, and during the passing of time perhaps it may no longer be possible to honour that promise. Perhaps the relationship alters and the promise gets dropped, or may even become a burden instead of the comfort it was meant to be at the beginning.

When the Lord made this promise to His people, it was meant to encourage them during His  physical absence. It was meant to carry them through times of great trials and suffering, because although after He went back to heaven and He could no longer be seen, His word to them, (and us), was to bring to them comfort and hope when circumstances were contrary.

“I will never leave thee …” would, and still brings comfort when natural causes separate loved ones. At least the promise of our Beloved remains, because when we grow old, get sick or die, He doesn’t! As He promised, He will always be right there beside each dear person who is humbly trusting and walking with Him.

When the Lord Jesus arose again from the dead three days after He died on the cross in the place of sinners like you and me, He proved that death had no hold on Him. Therefore when He as taken up into heaven He went there as a living Man to remain the same throughout the ages to come. As He was back then so He is today … “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13: 8.

But how can the promised presence of Someone we cannot see bring practical help and hope for us today? I believe by understanding just who it was that made this promise our faith will be more grounded, and our confidence in Him will quieten and rest us even in the midst of life’s most trying circumstances.

And so let us take a brief look at who is this One who makes such a promise to us.

When David who would one day be King was delivered out of the hand of his enemies and out of the hand of King Saul who was in pursuit of his life, this is how he expressed his great relief:

Later on in the Psalms he wrote of the Lord being his Shepherd, (Psalm 23: 1). So just in these two references alone we have ten examples of who God is to His trusting people. The One who promised His people He would never leave us is everything to us He was to David. Time or culture does not alter this tremendous truth in which we can be greatly encouraged, because as earlier mentioned He is always the same, and as reliable now as He was then.

Living in this world full of troubles and uncertainties it is good to know that we have “the God of love and peace with us always” (See 2 Corinthians 13: 11). Paul in the closing words of his second letter to the Thessalonians said this: “the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.” (Ch 3: 16). He knew that the knowledge of the Lord’s presence would greatly encourage them in their particular struggles in life.

There is nothing like the presence of the Lord Himself to bring to His people such blessing that we can hardly contemplate. He is the God of joy, peace, and hope: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” Romans 15: 13.

Hope is certainly something we could all do with and this is provided in abundance in ‘the God of hope’, so we need never give up or give in to the suggestion that because we cannot see Him He is not there. The hope we have is His hope and is one of certainty clarified by the gracious Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit that the Lord Jesus sent after He was received back to heaven to indwell His people, so they, and we would never be left alone. This means that our beloved Lord is not only ‘with’ us always, but ‘in’ us!

How often have we been in need of comfort and consolation? He who has promised to never leave us is able to draw near to us as our Comforter! “… The God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

And as He ministers to us in our need He brings to us the type of comfort that is to be passed on to others who are hurting as well. The God who loves all souls and is not willing that any should perish, but come to trust Him as well blesses us with something very precious, a tool with which we can reach out to others in the hope that they too will trust Him and go on to live for Him.

When He promised to ‘never leave us, nor forsake us’, we were gifted and blessed far more than what we would ever know, but such is His love and mercy to us all! All that He has to give is in Himself. It is not so much about what He gives to His trusting people, but more about who He is to each one of of us.

Because He is our Portion here and now, we can also appreciate Him as our Shield, Protector, and “exceeding great reward.” Genesis 15: 1.

And so it may help us to appreciate Him and fill us with wonder to learn a little about the greatness of the One who has promised to be always with us. And when we read again that promise of His: “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” we might appreciate in a deeper way what a promise this really is, and be more mindful of His gracious and never leaving presence in our lives.

Here is another thought to cheer your heart just before I close - He who promised to be present with us where we are today, desires our presence where He is. And one soon day another promise of His will be gloriously fulfilled: