Faith Promises - I will never leave you

Last week I wrote about Faith vs Fear. I have been thinking about that and thinking about the faith promises. What are the promises that we can cling to and hold onto so we can overcome the fears that creep into our lives?

With faith cling to the promise that God will not leave us.

For me one of the times that this was the promise that I needed to cling to was in the summer of 2013. We were in Singapore for training and while we were there I had some routine medical tests and as a result needed to have a biopsy. Trips back and forth to the hospital, tests, scans, visits with the doctor were filling my days. The fear was creeping in, was it . . .? No, it can't be . . . What if it is . . .? The questions and fears were flying through my head. Until surgery and really until the pathology reports were back a few days after surgery there were unknowns. I had to cling to truths that I did know and one of those truths was that no matter what happened God would be with me. God would never leave me.

We can cling to the promise that God has given us that he will never leave us. As his children, he has promised to never leave us.

This begins in Genesis when God created man in his image. The fellowship and relationship that God had with man was to spend time together. In Exodus after rescuing his people from slavery in Egypt God says, "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst." Exodus 25:8 (ESV) God wants to be with us.

In Psalm 23 David writes, "for you are with me" (v 4). God is with his people. Isaiah 41:10, "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;".

In the New Testament God came to earth. Jesus continues the promise, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20 (ESV).

God has promised to be with us. Pause and think about it. God has promised to be with us. We have a God who is with us, a God who has come to us not a god we work and try and hope we can be good enough. We have a God who dwells with us.

That faith promise helped me to cast out the fears, not dwell on the what ifs but to keep trusting God. In the end it was just a cyst and nothing more serious. Even if it was more serious I know I can trust in the promise that God gives that he will never leave us.

"It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed" Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)

This promise gives courage as we face difficult times. This promise gives hope. This promise can drive away so many fears.

How does this help to cast away the fears you might have?

Beth