‘I will never leave you’ is a powerful statement! All through the Word of God, we hear God calling us to Himself, then proclaiming He will be with us and that He will never leave us alone.
In the Old Testament, He asked His People to leave the land they resided in to live in a new place He called the Promise Land. He called them to follow a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
“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.” ~Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
In the New Testament, Jesus called people to ‘follow Him’ leaving their families and work behind to accompany Him in His three-year ministry.
“Then Peter said to [Jesus], ‘Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?’ And Jesus said…‘And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.’” ~Matthew 19:27 & 29 NASB
In modern wedding ceremonies, we hear of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law as she proclaims she will not leave or abandon her in her widowhood. Instead, Ruth leaves her country to accompany Naomi as she returns home bereft and barren.
“But Ruth said [to Naomi], ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” ~Ruth 1:16 NASB
Husbands and wives proclaim at the marriage altar that they will not leave one another, but will partner together for life.
“I, (name), take thee, (name), to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” ~Basic Protestant Wedding Vow1
In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus speaks of seeking out the lost sheep, then rejoicing when it is found.
Jesus said, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”
“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”
“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” ~Luke 15:4-7 NASB
May you be encouraged today in the truth that God will never leave us alone. In fact, He will pursue us if we wander away from Him, then restore us to Himself.
Recommendations
Hidden with Christ – Strength with Dignity
How to Find God – Strength with Dignity
References
1 Yefimets, Svitlana. 55Traditional Wedding Vows to Inspire You. Published by Wedding Forward on July 19, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from The Best Traditional Wedding Vows For Different Religions (weddingforward.com)
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB 1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
Lamb Pictures by Nathan Greene. The official website of Nathan Greene. – Hart Classic Editions
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid Member #bgbg2 #BibleGateway
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. The prompt this week is leave.
21 thoughts on “I Will Never Leave You”
I loved your blog. I loved the photos, the content, the Bible verses and especially the song. It was so very comforting to my hurting heart. Terri #6 FMF
I am so glad you found comfort today, Terri. Big hug!
Thank you! I needed to read this today. Regina FMF #15
I’m so glad, Regina! May the Lord bless you!
He said He would never leave,
and this I understand,
but it’s tough now to believe
that I am in His hand
unless it is a juggle-act
and I am a spinning ball
unaware, now of the fact
that I must face the fall
that as I am now tossed on high,
then caught, and then be tossed again,
it’s not mine to reason why,
and I must turn to poetic pen,
to find the mysteries I can’t see,
and write the grace He’s given me.
It sounds like you are walking through the valley, but I can see how it would feel like a spinning ball in a juggling act, Andrew.
Beautiful post – thanks for sharing!
I’m glad you were encouraged, Allie!
Lisa, this is beautiful! I remember when I was a bummer lamb and Jesus left the 99 to come rescue me, I was stuck in the mud and he set me free.
Visiting today from G&T
He is so loving and kind to search us out, then rescue us, Paula!
I love that verse from Deuteronomy. It is so encouraging, especially in times of change or facing the unknown, to remember that God goes before us and will be with us no matter what.
His Presence brings so much comfort to us, Lesley!
Thanks for this encouraging message, Lisa.
I’m so glad you were encouraged, Sandra!
Lisa, I am so encouraged and love how you put all of this together.
I’m so glad you were encouraged, Deborah!
We need the reminder, probably more often than we think, that the Lord will never leave us. We don’t face a day without Him beside us. Beautiful encouragement to begin my day!
Such a comfort to know He is always with us, Joanne!
Such comforting thoughts, Lisa, to cling to on the hard paths of life.
Lisa, thank you for this comforting and truthful reminder. In this world where people come and go out of our lives at the drop of a dime, it’s a huge blessing that He will never leave us, will never change like shifting shadows, and remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
It is a huge blessing to know He is always with us, Linda!