I once wrote a book with a chapter about change. Someone in the publishing company said, “You know, Pastor Jim, you ought to be careful, writing about change. Don’t emphasize that there are changes in life. People get very insecure about that.”

Okay, maybe that’s true. But isn’t change reality?

When I was a kid, I was told, “Aww, grade school is like playtime. Wait until you get to junior high!” I got used to junior high, and then came high school—studying maps, taking SATs. I thought I’d been nervous in first grade, but now I was wondering what my major would be!

When I graduated college, I got a job. No more school—now I was wondering about raises and taxes. Then I got married, and the job became secondary. Then came children! The kids went to school, and we helped with long division (which was no joke). After kids came grandkids.

Life is full of change. Who knows what changes 2026 will hold for each of us? But here’s what God promises us: “I will never leave you.”

There’s no challenge in 2026 that you or I will face in which we will be left alone to say, “What am I going to do?” God says, “I’ll be there to help you. Whatever it is, I’m going to walk you through it.”

This promise from Almighty God is found throughout the Bible. Look at what God says in Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you or abandon you” (CSB). The author of Hebrews was quoting from the past, but he didn’t tell us which passage he was referencing. So where did God say that?

Some experts have said that it was in Deuteronomy 31:6–8, where the statement “He will not leave you or abandon you” is repeated to Joshua over and over again. But some people (like me) go to Isaiah 41, which has this beautiful verse in it: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10, NIV).

The Lord says that no matter what we go through, He will never abandon us. There will never be a second when we aren’t in His eyes.

What’s going to happen in March? June? October? We don’t have a clue, but here’s what we do know: God will be with us in 2026.

What if we fail? We can’t let the enemy come and accuse us, saying, “Look what you did.” We can ask God for forgiveness, and He will be faithful and just to forgive us (see John 10:10). He won’t stop being with us.

When times get tough, Satan’s going to tempt us: “Now what are you going to do?” Here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to quote, “God said, ‘I’ll never leave you or forsake you.’”

Let’s trust God. He will never leave us alone. Let’s cling to that promise and walk with Jesus in the new year.

Prayer

God, make this truth alive in us: You are with us. Help us to rejoice in the fact that whatever the enemy may do in 2026, You have already defeated it. We want to go into this new year with boldness, declaring that, no matter what we face, You will never leave us. Thank You, Jesus! Amen.

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