One of the best pieces of the gospel’s good news is the fact that once we receive the free gift of salvation, we are never alone again.  We will never dial 911 to God and reach a busy signal. He promises to be ever with us.  This is part of His faithfulness we focused on last week.

The first time this promise is stated is in. Deuteronomy 31:1-8:  Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. ² And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’ ³ The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. ⁴ And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. ⁵ The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. ⁶ Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

⁷ Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. ⁸ And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.

Up until this time, God promised to go before the people, but now He tells them He will be with them.

David experienced God’s faithfulness to His word over and over as he faced the lion and the bear that tried to kill his sheep.  Then there was Goliath.  In Psalm 23, David spoke from experience when he declared, “I will fear no evil.”

Psalm 23:1-6  The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of   righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. …

God speaks to Israel in Isaiah 41:10:  Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

And again: But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:1-2

For Israel and her leaders the fact that God was with them gave them faith to move forward in faith.  But there was a greater blessing ahead for God’s children.

Matthew 1:23  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Did you catch that?  He is with us ALWAYS.  He is with us in our everyday activities–things we may not consider to be ‘ministry’ or notable.  He is with us on our drive to work or to the grocery store.  He is with us as we watch T.V., text on the phones, or post on Facebook.  He is with us when we pray or when we party.  How often do we acknowledge His presence or dialogue with Him other than our ‘prayer time’?

Before Yeshua went to the cross, He spoke to His disciples. (FYI–If you are pursuing Him with all your lives, learning His will, seeking to do His will, and following Him in obedience, you are a disciple too.). This is what He told them, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16

Then Paul wrote in I Corinthians 3:16:  Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you.

I don’t think any of us has a full grasp of the blessing of having the God of the universe, Supreme God over all things, not only with us, but in us 24/7, 365.  He is there to counsel us and bring correction.  He is in us to defend us and guide us, to comfort and remind us who we are and Who our Abba is.

If you find yourself happy and want to share that happiness with someone and can’t reach your friends by phone, remember Who is right there wanting to share your happiness.  Or if you’re discouraged, confused, afraid, etc. He is right there to give you hope, clarity, or peace.

God is not a Santa Claus or a vending machine, but He loves us more than any other person or animal.  He is ever present, loving and correcting us. While His correction may not feel good, He corrects us because He loves us, and if we follow His instruction, we will always reap benefits.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul writes:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

This week as you go about your days, remember that He is with you.  Talk to Him, listen for His response, laugh with Him, cry with Him, and share your life with a sense of His presence.

Psalm 46:1-3 speaks of God being our “ever present help.”  Here is the Message translation: