Exeter Seventh-day Adventist Church

God will never forsake us. It’s in the Bible, Deuteronomy 31:6, NKJV. “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.”

Even if our loved ones forsake us, God never does. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 27:10, NKJV. “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.”

Sometimes we may feel that God has forsaken us, but even then He does not forget us. It’s in the Bible, Isaiah 49:14-16, NKJV. “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me, and my LORD has forgotten me.’ ‘Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.’ ”

Although God will never forsake us, He respects our free will if we choose to leave Him. It’s in the Bible, 2 Chronicles 24:18-20, NKJV. “Therefore they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served wooden images and idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem because of their trespass. Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the LORD; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, ‘Thus says God: “Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He also has forsaken you.” ’ ”

Forsaking God will leave us empty and incomplete, for He is the source of all life, happiness, and fulfillment. It’s in the Bible, Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV. “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.”

Forsaking God and His judgments brings trouble to ourselves and those around us. It’s in the Bible, 1 Kings 18:18, NKJV. “He [Elijah] answered, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed the Baals.’ ”

God will punish those who forsake His laws of justice. It’s in the Bible, Psalm 89:30-33, NKJV. “If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, if they break My statutes and do not keep My commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail.”

When we make mistakes, it doesn’t mean God has forsaken us. It’s in the Bible, Nehemiah 9:17, NKJV. “They refused to obey, and they were not mindful of Your wonders that You did among them. But they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion they appointed a leader to return to their bondage. But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and did not forsake them.”

Meeting opposition and difficult trials does not mean God has forsaken you. It’s in the Bible, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NKJV. “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”

In our trials, when we feel that God has forsaken us, God is closer than you feel. It's in the Bible, Jeremiah 23:23, “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off?"

God has promised to be with you; what is there to fear? It’s in the Bible, Hebrews 13:5, 6, NKJV. “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ ”