“I will never leave you nor forsake you” What does it really mean?

What does God mean when He says that He will never leave us nor forsake us?

On days when we find ourselves surrounded by storms of uncertainties, sickness, brokenness and being crushed in spirit, the phrase simply means to:

“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

Deuteronomy 31:6 was written to encourage the people of Israel. Their Old Testament reality presented their lives with insurmountable challenges, and God wanted them to know unequivocally that they could trust Him to lead them to victory. Amidst great adversity, this was a call to obedience. Two verses later God repeated, “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.”

As humans, when we promise “always” or “never” we are incapable of upholding it simply because we are limited beings. God, on the other hand, is infinite and capable of doing all things. When He promises “always” or “never”, He can be fully trusted to honour His word.

Very often, people have a hard time taking God at His word because difficulties are often projected as though they are bigger than God. But If God says it, that settles it, right? There should be absolutely no reason to doubt what He says. Still, our hearts doubt His word. 

In this season, I must admit that my heart is finding it much harder to take God at His word. Maybe because I often need tangible experiences to do so. Today, though, I had an encounter and I want to share with you an excerpt from my reflections that came from Psalm 139:7-12

“When God says that He will never leave us nor forsake us, He really means it. Where can we go from His Spirit? Or, where can we flee from His presence? Even if we go down to the deepest, darkest pit, there He will follow us. Wherever we make our beds He will follow. Whether it’s in hell or on the highest of mountains, there He will follow us. He is unafraid of the darkness. He is relentless. He will keep knocking on the door of our hearts. He will go as far as reaching down into a place not fit for a king to get to us. He will either stay there with us, in the valley of the shadow of death and feed us, or he’ll either pull us out and set our feet on solid ground again. Either way, whatever he chooses to do, that’s Him fulfilling his promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

That for me is what it means when God says that He will never leave nor forsake us. Even when we willfully make our bed in the wilderness, there His hands will guide us. Even when we sin and withdraw instead of going to Him in repentance, He will still pursue us. 

As a missionary, what I’ve come to realise is that people are often unable to spiritually hear the gospel until their physical needs are met. Through the church, God provides for all His people. Individually, He provides what we need in order for us to hear Him as clearly as He purposes us to. Our circumstances try to steal the seat of our hearts, and when they do, we lose sight of the way God provides for us. We lose sight of the promises He’s made to us, and we start doubting and worrying. 

To have God with you, always, means you can be strong and courageous because the source of your strength lives in you. You just have to remember He’s always there.

To the one battling sickness and distress, I know it is hard and your bones feel like they are crumbling, but keep holding on. May you truly experience the tangible presence of God today. May your anxieties be lifted, and may your heart be filled with a peace that transcends all understanding. I know this side of heaven, courage and strength seem to be in short supply, but there’s abundance in Christ Jesus. May your days be filled with the purposeful pursuit of the love of God.