“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
In those days after Jesus’ Resurrection and then Ascension into heaven, the disciples must have struggled with a sense of abandonment. Fear of abandonment seems one of the basic fears of mankind. Perhaps it arises from mom dropping us off at daycare or school or leaving us with a strange teenage babysitter. No matter what the source, all of us, if we will admit it, fear abandonment. Part of that fear is based on our certainty, buried deep inside, that no one would want to be with us if they really knew us. We have an implanted idea that we don’t deserve the company of others, that we deserve to be alone. For those who haven’t trusted in Christ, there is an inner feeling that we can’t really count on the things we have trusted.
It is interesting the promise to never leave us is connected with keeping our lives free from the love of money and being content with what we have. Those who attach their worth to earthly things are never content. There is never enough. When we tie ourselves to God, there is always more than enough.
It turns out the disciples need not have feared. The Lord did not abandon them. He remained with them as they spread His gospel throughout the known world, as they nearly all suffered death for His sake. He never left. He won’t leave us either and if we remained focused on His mission we will know that presence, now and forever more.
Nick
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