God is With You

Change is inevitable. Whether it arrives as a new career opportunity, an unexpected health diagnosis, a cross-country move, or a fractured relationship, transition creates turbulence in our lives. It brings anxiety, feelings of loss, fear, and uncertainty that can leave us feeling unmoored and adrift.

Our modern world only amplifies these feelings. We live in an age where distinguishing truth from fiction has become increasingly difficult. Fake news, social media echo chambers, clickbait headlines, and AI-generated content blur the lines of reality. When we can't even trust what we see and hear, how do we find solid ground during life's inevitable transitions?

The answer lies not in our circumstances, but in the unchanging character of God.

A Nation on the Brink
The Israelites found themselves facing one of the most significant transitions imaginable. After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, they stood at the edge of the Promised Land. Everything they had known was about to change.

For four decades, they had lived as nomads. God had provided for their every need—manna from heaven, water from rocks, clothes that didn't wear out, sandals that never fell apart. They had followed one leader, Moses, who had brought them out of Egyptian slavery and through the Red Sea. They knew nothing else.

Now, at 120 years old, Moses was preparing to die. The people would need to follow a new leader, Joshua, into unfamiliar territory. They would transform from wanderers into warriors, conquering the land God had promised them. Then they would transition again from soldiers to settlers, learning to farm and build permanent homes.

The anxiety must have been overwhelming.

Words That Echo Through Time
In Deuteronomy 31:8, Moses speaks words that would echo not just through Israel's history, but through all of human history: "It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

Read those words again slowly. Let them sink in.

The Lord goes before you—not beside you, not behind you, but ahead of you, preparing the way. He will be with you—not might be, not could be, but absolutely will be. He will not leave you—there is no abandonment in God's character. He will not forsake you—He remains faithful even when we are faithless. Therefore: Do not fear or be dismayed.

These weren't empty platitudes. Moses wasn't offering cheap encouragement or positive thinking. He was declaring theological truth based on God's demonstrated character throughout their journey.

It's Not About Us
What's striking about Moses' final addresses to Israel is how little they focus on Moses himself. Despite being one of history's most influential figures, Moses consistently points away from himself and toward God.

In verses 1-8 of Deuteronomy 31, Moses mentions the Lord repeatedly: "the Lord has said," "the Lord your God himself will go," "the Lord will do," "the Lord will give them over," "the Lord will be with you," "the Lord will not forsake you."

Moses understood something we often forget: this isn't our story. It's God's story, and we are participants in it.

This perspective transforms how we view transitions. When we think life is about us, change threatens our sense of control and identity. But when we recognize we're part of God's larger narrative of redemption, transitions become opportunities to see how God continues to work.

The Power of Remembering
Moses didn't just encourage the people with words. He gave them tools to remember who God is and who they were called to be.

He commanded that every seven years, the entire community—men, women, children, even foreigners living among them—should gather to hear the law read aloud. This wasn't legalism; it was identity formation. They needed to remember their covenant relationship with God.

Moses also had the law written down and placed beside the Ark of the Covenant as a permanent witness. He even composed a song that would serve as a testimony to future generations.

Why all this emphasis on remembering? Because we forget. We forget God's faithfulness when circumstances change. We forget His promises when anxiety rises. We forget His character when fear whispers lies.

Regular remembrance—whether through Scripture reading, worship, or gathering with other believers—anchors us to truth when everything else feels uncertain.

The Courage Born of Love
Three times in Deuteronomy 31, Moses tells Joshua and the people to "be strong and courageous." This wasn't a command to manufacture feelings they didn't have. True courage isn't a feeling at all—it's a response born from love.

Moses loved God deeply. Despite forty years of leading a complaining, rebellious people, his love for them never wavered. Even in his final days, his concern wasn't for his own legacy but for their future.

When Moses asked God to appoint a successor, he didn't suggest his own sons. He asked God to choose the right person so "the congregation of the Lord may not be as sheep without a shepherd." His love for God's people extended far beyond his own life.

This is the kind of love that produces courage—not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act despite fear because something greater is at stake.

The Grace That Sustains
Here's the most remarkable part of this story: God knew the Israelites would fail.

Moses prophesied it explicitly. After his death, the people would "surely act corruptly and turn away from the way" God commanded them. Evil would befall them because they would provoke God to anger.

God knew this. He knew every failure, every rebellion, every time they would break their covenant with Him.

And yet He said: "I will be with you."

This is grace that defies comprehension. The Creator of all things, who knows everything we will do and fail to do, still promises: "I am with you."

The Bible declares this promise over fifty times in various forms throughout Scripture. From the Old Testament prophets to Jesus Christ Himself saying, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age," this truth remains constant.

God never fails. He is always faithful. Even when we are not.

Living in the Certainty
So what does this mean for the transition you're facing right now?

It means that in a world full of uncertainty, calamity, pain, and trouble, there is one absolute certainty: God is with you.

The anxiety you feel is real. The fear is understandable. The uncertainty is valid.

But underneath all of it is bedrock truth: the Lord goes before you. He will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

This isn't a promise that life will be easy or that transitions won't be painful. The Israelites still had to fight battles and face challenges in the Promised Land.

But it is a promise that you will not face those challenges alone. The same God who led Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and into the Promised Land is the same God who walks with you today.

The story is His story. And He invites you to trust Him, to participate in what He's doing, to find your identity and purpose defined by His unchanging love and faithfulness.

In times of transition, we have a choice: live in the chaos and uncertainty, or live in the certainty of our Savior.

Choose certainty. Choose Christ. He will never let you go.