No Matter What, No Matter Where: The Promise of God's Presence on the Road Ahead

No matter what you do--
                                        No matter where you go--
                                                        There is one thing you can count on--

You do not walk alone.

Life is filled with glorious, exciting--and fearsome--rites of passage. Graduation from high school or college. Marrying the love of your life. Bringing a child into the world. Accepting a new career challenge. Moving out of your circle of loved ones to explore new surroundings and pursue new adventures.

With every beginning comes an endless list of questions. "Will I be good at this?" "Am I where the Lord wants me?" "Have I made the very best decisions possible?" "Am I all alone?" Sometimes the answers are hard to come by. But to your most urgent question, there is an answer you can cling to with absolute, unwavering certainty:

God is with you every step of the way.


Where can I go from your Spirit?
        Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
        if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
        if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
        your right hand will hold me fast--        

                        (Psalm 139:7-10)

TAKING MAJOR STEPS in life can be frightening. When the way before us is dark or hazy, we long for reassurance. Thankfully, reassurance is something our God in heaven delights in giving. Psalm 139 teaches us that we do not walk through life alone--that, in fact, there is a personal, all-knowing, all-seeing God who wants the very best for us and will never turn away.

As you step out in faith to embrace the challenges and joys of your future, may you find peace, strength, and companionship in the God who knows you intimately, loves you deeply, walks with you closely, and desires more for you than you could ever hope for or imagine.

Larry Libby has edited and collaborated with Christian authors for nearly twenty-five years, and he now works with partner Steve Halliday at Crown Media, Ltd. He has written for Discipleship Journal and Moody, and also has published five children's books, including Someday Heaven, Someone With You, and I Remember When I Was Afraid. Larry lives with his wife, Laura, and their two children in the beautiful high desert country of Bend, Oregon.

Steve Halliday is president of Crown Media, Ltd., a literary partnership with Larry Libby that specializes in book editing and collaboration. Steve is the author of two books and has co-written books with Luis Palau, Dave and Jan Dravecky, and many others. He holds a master of divinity degree from Western Conservative Baptist and a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Steve and his wife, Lisa, live in Hillsboro, Oregon and are active members at Sunset Presbyterian Church in Portland.