365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 64: God Who Is With Us

God Who Is With Us

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you." (Genesis 28:15 NIV)

God left no doubt about his "with-us-ness" when He sent His best beloved to earth in the flesh in the person of Emmanuel—"God with us." And even when Emmanuel shed His earthly body and returned to heaven, God remained (and remains) with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Helper and Counselor. 

But God has always confirmed His presence with the people He created. Again and again, His story records that reality in the present—"I am with you"—and the promise of it in the future: "I will be with you."

• "Do not be afraid, for I am with you." (Genesis 26:24 NIV)
• "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." (Genesis 28:15 NIV)
• "'They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 1:19 NIV)
• "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." (Genesis 31:3 NIV)
• "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5 NIV)
• "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." (Isaiah 43:3)

Apart from God's own voice, spoken though His Word, I can think of no better way to "speak" about this name than through this sacred song. The lyrics were written just days prior to a tragedy that took the lives of a young couple, leaving their baby an orphan. Music was then swiftly composed to accompany the lyrics, and the piece was used at the couple's funeral. May you see in the lyrics and hear in the music the truth that God—Father, Son, Spirit...here on earth now and someday in heaven forever—is with you.

"I am with you, says the Savior,

Even to the age's end.

Never leaving, nor forsaking,

I'm your ever-present Friend.

Fear not, loved one; hear My comfort;

None can pluck you from My hand.

Trust me, loved one; I am constant:

None can change what I have planned."

("I Am With You," words by Chris Anderson, music by Greg Habegger, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4daszftJU1U.)