He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6)

Leaving home for the first time can be an exciting but overwhelming experience. My own trip to college was such. At first, I was bubbling with excitement as my father drove me to the school I had never visited, in a town I did not know. Then, anxiety crept over me.

As my bubbling conversation ceased, my father read the anxiety signaled by my silence. He pulled the car off the road, looked me in the eye, and said, “I don’t know if you will do well or if you’ll do poorly at this school, but you are my son, and that will never change. There’s always a place for you in my home.”

Such are the assurances of the gospel of grace that God has given to you. His love will not be determined by what you do — but by whose you are.

We are children of our Heavenly Father, and because we are His children, His love will never leave or forsake us. There will always be a place for us in his Heart. That doesn’t make all earthly challenges go away, but we face them without crippling anxiety, knowing nothing can sever us from his eternal care!

Prayer: Father, thank you for the promise that you will never leave me or forsake me! Give me courage to face every trial by remembering that earthly challenges are no match for my eternal security in your heart.