God will never leave you nor forsake you.

In the past few months, two of my doctors “broke up with me.” One launched a new practice that is not covered by my insurance. The other unexpectedly retired. To say I feel slightly abandoned would be an understatement as I’ve gone to these doctors for many years. I know them. They know me.

Their replacements are twelve year olds. Ok. They’re not really twelve but it sure seems like it as I look upon their fresh, just out of medical school faces. They know nothing about me other than what my previous doctors have written in their notes. (Boy, would I love to see those!)

If you’ve been alive for more than a minute, it’s likely you’ve had many broken relationships. Whether it was you or the other person who ended it, hearts were still broken. While my heart is not broken over the change in doctors, I was sad. Maybe a little nervous as I had no idea what the new doctors would be like.

I suspect this is how the disciples of Jesus felt after He died. They had expectations that He’d be with them for decades. Why wouldn’t they? Yet as they saw their friend, teacher, confidante hanging on that cross, those hopes were crushed.

This was the ultimate break up. They were alone, running for their lives, hiding away. Despite Jesus telling them “I’ll be back,” they couldn’t deny what they saw – death, burial,  tomb.

Yet, here’s what else they saw:

They saw Jesus teach and preach. They saw Him heal people. They saw Him multiply food. They saw Him turn water into wine. They even saw Him raise their friend from the dead after four days!!

Yet with everything they saw and heard, they could not wrap their minds around Jesus saying He’d be back. They could not get over the break-up. It was like they forgot everything they knew about Jesus.

Until…

Three days later, who appears to them but the One and Only Jesus! He made good on His promise.

You see, if God says something, He means it. If God says something, it comes to pass. God is not a liar. He keeps His promises.

Scholars say there are thousands of promises in the Bible. Some say 7,000, while others say nearly 9,000. Do you know how many promises God has broken?

ZERO. ZIPPO. NADA. NONE.

We break promises all the time. Perhaps not intentionally, but we do. We promise to love and to cherish, but we don’t. We promise to be friends forever, but we aren’t. We promise to (fill in the blank) but we fail. 

“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19).

I thought I’d have my doctors until…well…until I didn’t need them anymore. They had other plans. God isn’t like that. Once He’s with you, He’s with you always. He’s with you when you’re sick and when you’re well. He’s with you when you’re poor and when you’re rich. He’s with you through every break up all the way to your breakthrough.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).

I find that comforting, don’t you? No matter what state my life is in, God is with me. He knows me better than my doctors, my friends, and my family. He knows every hair on my head (and He doesn’t need to look at my doctor’s notes!)

God will never break up with me or you. Even if you break up with Him for a time, He will chase you down. He will do everything He can to get you back. Why? Because of His great love for you. No one on this planet will ever love you like He does. No one. Ever.

How do I know this? Because He promised.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).