We live in a time when the nature of truth seems to be up for grabs. Every news story can be spun one way or another to say almost anything someone wants to believe. In times like these, I have to go back to what I know to be true. I have to go back to the promises of God.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Isaiah 40:8

This is where we find true comfort, in the word of our God, the One who promises to be with His people. “God with us” means God is for us. Immanuel is a sign that God has not abandoned us. No matter how bad it gets, God promises to deliver those who put their trust in Him. He is on our side, fighting to redeem us, to restore us, to bring us back home.

Romans 8 says If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) And from that idea, Paul goes on to say that if God is for us, nothing in all creation can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. If God is with us, we’re never separated from Him or His love. What an amazing thought!

That means God is with me when I’m going to school.

When I’m at work.

When I’m dealing with anxiety.

When I’m cooking dinner.

When I’m going in for my chemotherapy.

When I’m feeling all alone.

This promise from the time of Isaiah points us to something so practical but so transformative — the idea that God is truly with us. Is there anything you can’t handle if you know God is on your side? God is with us to comfort us when we’re afraid, to shepherd us through the dark, to take away our sin. These are God’s promises — Simon Peter calls them his great and precious promises through which we can participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4).

What would we do without the promises of God?

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If someone asked you, “What is the first verse of the Bible?” I’m guessing a lot of you would know it: Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. It’s one of those really well-known passages. But what about the last verse of the Bible? No cheating…but do you know the last verse of the Bible? (Incidentally, if you cheat on Bible trivia, you’ve kind of missed the point.)

The last verse of the Bible is Revelation 22:21, The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. The Bible begins with God creating everything; the backdrop is cosmically huge with universes and stars and moons and suns. But the Bible ends with a simple promise, a word of hope. The grace of Jesus be with God’s people.

That’s because God with us is the promise of eternity.

The final page of the Bible contains the promise of an eternity with God.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.

Revelation 21:3

God says that the promise of eternity is the promise of being with Him. What a glorious thought!

This promise is for those who would put their trust in Him. Do you need to put your trust in Him today? Today can be a new day — as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6, Today is the day of salvation — if you would put your trust in Him.

If we can help you in your spiritual journey, you can reach out to us at prayer@mayfair.org. The shepherds of our church would love to hear from you and talk with you about the promises of God.

God says, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

In the name of Jesus Christ, the Sovereign Lord who makes all things new, he who has ears, let him hear.