I'm Right Here
I came to a realization years ago that one of my greatest fears in life is (well, besides not having milk and bread in a snow storm) is being abandoned. I'm not even really sure how I developed this unspoken fear. I was never left on the steps of an orphanage or told to fend for myself while growing up. I was never ever physically abandoned. And yet, I had a deep insecurity that I could be left all alone in this world. (Now, there are days as a mom that I wish I could be left all alone! Ha!)
It was an insecurity that the Lord addressed immediately when I came to know Him. He would tell me all the time, "I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."
It was, and remains, a forever promise. I said yes to Him and He has forever said YES to me. And He will never, ever, ever, ever leave me. He means it - even on the bad days that I don't even feel good enough to look Him in the eyes. And on the sad and even traumatic days that I question His Love and push Him away. He'll never walk out. NEVER.
See the thing is, God takes abandonment extremely seriously because, other than the obvious break in covenant that would be, He knows how much it hurts when it happens. He knows what it feels like to be abandoned. There are many passages in the Old Testament, especially, where we are told that He was abandoned by His own people. Oh, if only we could see the teardrops that came down from His face through those times that pierced Him to the core! His people in essence said, "We don't want you anymore. We're outta here." They may as well have ripped His heart out and stomped on it. The people He loved and called His own didn't love Him or want Him anymore. That left one broken-hearted Daddy.
But that never stopped or stops God from remaining faithful. And the promise remains for us today.
And God is not a liar. If He says it, it's true. Even if we feel like God has left us, His Truth is greater than our feelings. We have an eternal security that God will always be with us, will always be close, and will never leave us - whether it be here on earth or when we die. He will never leave us. And that's a promise we can take to the bank.
It was an insecurity that the Lord addressed immediately when I came to know Him. He would tell me all the time, "I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."
It was, and remains, a forever promise. I said yes to Him and He has forever said YES to me. And He will never, ever, ever, ever leave me. He means it - even on the bad days that I don't even feel good enough to look Him in the eyes. And on the sad and even traumatic days that I question His Love and push Him away. He'll never walk out. NEVER.
See the thing is, God takes abandonment extremely seriously because, other than the obvious break in covenant that would be, He knows how much it hurts when it happens. He knows what it feels like to be abandoned. There are many passages in the Old Testament, especially, where we are told that He was abandoned by His own people. Oh, if only we could see the teardrops that came down from His face through those times that pierced Him to the core! His people in essence said, "We don't want you anymore. We're outta here." They may as well have ripped His heart out and stomped on it. The people He loved and called His own didn't love Him or want Him anymore. That left one broken-hearted Daddy.
But that never stopped or stops God from remaining faithful. And the promise remains for us today.
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 NIV
http://bible.com/111/heb.13.5.niv
And God is not a liar. If He says it, it's true. Even if we feel like God has left us, His Truth is greater than our feelings. We have an eternal security that God will always be with us, will always be close, and will never leave us - whether it be here on earth or when we die. He will never leave us. And that's a promise we can take to the bank.
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