The realities of life

The realities of life sometimes can be so overwhelming it feels like God has deserted you. It feels like he has packed up and simply left the building, leaving you to struggle with life all by yourself. I have felt that way before. How can you be sure that God is with you?

Everyone at one time or another has been in places and situations in their lives which have caused them to cry out to God saying, “God, do you even care? Why are you allowing this to happen?” It’s these moments that our faith is small, our hope is low, and all we can see is the challenge in front of us. It feels like it will never go away.

We may wish there were never any trials or troubles in our life, but that’s not how life is. The truth of life is that it’s in the stormy moments, when our faith is just about gone, where we discover God’s faithfulness. However, in the middle of the storms of life, we have a tendency to forget. We forget God’s promises, God’s plan, and God’s purpose. Sometimes you can even reach a place where you wonder ‘why am I here, how did I get here or why should I keep going on?’ It’s in these moments that clinging to the truth of God’s word matters more than ever.

Today I want to simply encourage you that God is with you, and He will never leave you. If you have ever felt all alone, as if God has left you or forsaken you, you are in good company. Should a day come where you feel like God is nowhere to be found, consider these examples of people who had heavy burdens on them and felt alone and helpless.

King David

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Psalm 22:1-2

Elijah

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors. 1 Kings 19:3-4

Gideon

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” Judges 6:13

Jesus

About mid afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). Matthew 27:46

As you can see, if you have ever felt like you were deserted or abandoned by God you are not alone. You have joined a long list of people before you who at some point felt the same way you have or are now feeling. I encourage you to learn how to grab onto God’s word for when the hard times in life come upon you.

The following are scriptures to remind you that God is with you always. But I want to challenge you: don’t just casually read through these scriptures. Read them out loud so you can hear what they say about how God is always with you. Hearing these words will plant them into your heart and not just in your brain where they can be forgotten.

God Is with You Always

~ 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. Joshua 1:5

~ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

~ …for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]! Hebrews 13:5 (AMP)

~ …and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

~ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15

~ The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession. Psalm 94:14 (NLT)

~ For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath. Deuteronomy 4:31

~ The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. Psalm 118:6-7

~ Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Psalm 27:10 (NLT)

I trust the truth of those Scriptures are beginning to burn into your heart now. If not, read them again and again—until this truth sinks deep into your soul. God will never, ever, ever forsake or desert you because he truly loves you that much.

You Can Trust God?

It’s important for you to walk away from reading this with your faith and hope truly restored. One last important truth: it is impossible for God to lie. Here’s two examples:

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 27:19

So, God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls… Hebrews 6:18-19

In Conclusion

Though I don’t know what your situation is or what the world is throwing at you, I do know God loves you deeply. He has not forsaken you or ever left your side and he will fulfill what he has promised in his word to do for you what He said He would do. My prayer today is that you will find strength, peace, and comfort in the God who is with you always. I leave you with these words reminding you of how faithful God truly is.

If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself. – 2 Timothy 2:13 (AMP)