Every now and then, when I look at my six-year-old son, Samuel, I have a sobering thought. What if something were to happen to me and my wife, Cinthya, while he is still young and needs us most?
As Samuel’s love for us continues to grow—and as our love for him somehow keeps growing too—those moments feel more poignant than they once did. Most children naturally assume their parents will always be there. Yet Samuel has occasionally said things that suggest he has already begun to wrestle, in his own way, with questions about loss and separation.
A few years ago, he asked whether the three of us would go to heaven together at the same time. More recently, he made a passing comment about how sometimes parents abandon their children. Hearing that took Cinthya and me by surprise.
I do not share all this to sound morbid. Rather, one of those moments recently became the occasion for a beautiful reminder from the Lord.
As I found myself thinking about Samuel and the uncertainties that come with life in a fallen world, the Holy Spirit brought to mind a simple but profound truth taught throughout Scripture: unlike every earthly relationship, God will be with His people forever.
Not forever in the casual way our culture often uses the word, but literally forever.
I found myself thinking not only about Samuel, but also about the countless people throughout history who have lost a parent or been abandoned by one. As painful as those realities are, God’s children are never ultimately abandoned. The same God who is “Father of the fatherless” (Psalm 68:5) promises to be with His people.
During Pastor Peter’s recent series in 1 and 2 Kings, I was struck by how significant it is when Scripture says that the LORD was with David, Solomon, or Hezekiah; David, in Psalm 23 declares, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Through Christ, that promise is not reserved for kings; it belongs to every believer.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says:
“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.”
The promise is later repeated in Hebrews 13:5.
The psalmist could even say:
“Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” (Psalm 27:10)
Isaiah 41:10: “fear not, for I am with you … “
What does it mean that God is with us? It, at the very least, means that His infinite love, perfect wisdom, and limitless power are all working for our good. It means we are never left to ourselves. There is no greater security than being with the God who has promised never to leave His people.
What also struck me is that while God reveals Himself covenantally as our Father, Scripture often describes His care using some of the most tender images associated with motherhood. Through Isaiah, God says, “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). Elsewhere He asks, “Can a woman forget her nursing child?” only to assure His people that His covenant love is even more steadfast than that of the most devoted mother (Isaiah 49:15–16). Every good and godly parental instinct finds its perfect source in Him (see also Isaiah 46:3–4, Isaiah 42:14, Deuteronomy 32:11–12, Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34, and Hosea 11:3–4).
As I continue to watch Samuel grow in his knowledge of the Lord and His Word, I am reminded that I do not need to fear for him in the way I sometimes have. The God whose care exceeds even the best of fathers and mothers will never leave him or forsake him.
And none of this would be possible apart from Christ. The reason believers will never be forsaken is because Jesus was forsaken by His Father in our place. On the cross, He endured the judgment our sins deserved so that we might be brought into the everlasting presence of God.
Until that day when “the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3), what a comfort it is to know that in our coming and going, in our rejoicing and weeping, in life and in death, He is with us.
As the song “The Blessing” puts it, “May His presence go before you and behind you and beside you, all around you and within you.” For the believer, those words are more than a wish; they are a promise.
Fadi Hanna serves as a Deacon at GRC.