God is with us.

God is with me.  I am never alone. 

One of the truest things I know about God is that He is present. He is near. He is close. He is not going to leave or abandon me. I was trying to think of a single experience I’ve had with God in which I learned this, but the truth is I know God is always with me, not because of one encounter, but because of many. He is with me in all of my moments and He is with you in all of yours. 

The other day, I was reading Exodus and the following verses stood out to me. For context, Moses is currently in the wilderness, tending to his father-in-law’s sheep, when he encounters God.
 
“So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, "I will be with you.” - Exodus 3:10-12

Here’s what caught my attention: God didn’t answer Moses’s question. He didn’t explicitly tell Moses who he was. He didn’t give Moses a list of how God had molded and prepared Moses for this assignment. He didn’t describe the reasons Moses was qualified, or the gifts and abilities He had given Moses.

God simply said, “I will be with you.” And that was enough.  That was more than enough.

“I will be with you.” Jesus said something similar in Matthew 28, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I think there’s so much more to the statement, “I am with you”, than we tend to initially perceive. When I think of God being close, it’s easy to picture Him being with me in a comforting sort of way. And of course this is true; He is the Comforter. However, when God says He is near, all of Him is near. Everything that makes up the character of God is near to you. He is the Prince of Peace; His peace is near. He holds complete joy; His joy is near. He is the Healer; His healing is near. He is our Provider; His provision is near. He is the Great Counselor; His counsel is near. He is the God of justice; His justice is near. He is love; His love is near to you, longing to overflow and be experienced by you.  We have the privilege of getting to draw near to God.  He has the desire to draw near to us. And I think from that relational place we get to “further grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ", Immanuel - God with us.

Author | Marlena Sculac