fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
John 14:16 ESV

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20 ESV

See you later alligator. See you in a while crocodile. Sayonara. Adios. Au revoir. Until we meet again. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Farewell. Take care. Have a good one. Catch you later. Love you. There are innumerable ways to say goodbye. Yet one thing is for sure, whether we are saying goodbye for a short time, a long time, or until heaven, we will all have to say goodbye at some point in our lives.

Now I personally do not like goodbyes, especially when the goodbye involves a beloved friend or family member. I also don’t like saying goodbye to the familiar because the familiar is comfortable and inviting while the the unknown can be awkward and scary.

Yet this morning God spoke a truth to my heart that encouraged me greatly. It’s a truth I have read several times, for it’s written several places in His Word,  but this morning God spoke it to me from a different perspective.

Here it is: God never says goodbye, only welcome home.

God never says goodbye. Do you get that?!  God never says goodbye! No matter how many times on earth we may have to say it, and no matter how many times on earth we may have to hear it, we will never hear God say goodbye. We’ll never hear Him say, “See ya later,” “Sayonara,”  “Adios,” or “I’m outta here.” We will, however, hear Him say, “This is the way; walk in it.” We will hear Him say, “Come, take up your cross and follow Me.” We will hear Him say, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” But we will never hear Him say goodbye. Why? Because He can’t! He can’t say goodbye… because He never leaves! God is always with us! Always! He is with me right now as I write this; He is with you right now as you read it. He is with the ones grieving the loss of the husband, father, and grandfather; He is with the ones grieving the loss of the wife, mother, and grandmother.  God is always with us. He will never leave us, never forsake us, and He will never say goodbye.

But He will say welcome home. After He has walked us through every path along life’s journey–after He has brought us through the storms, through the rivers, through the tunnels, through the valleys, and over the mountain tops, He he will lead us home. He will open up the gates of heaven, turn to us and say, “Welcome home. Welcome home, my child. You have walked the path with me, loved me, and served me. We have been together through it all. Now come. Come into the mansion I have prepared for you.”

I’m not sure what you may be facing today. I’m not sure what goodbye you may have heard or have had to say, but be encouraged knowing that the God who made you and loves you and cares for you will never say goodbye to you. He will never give up on you; He will never walk away from you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.

God loves you, my friend.  So take heart. Feel Him right now as He puts His arm around you, leans in close, and whispers in your ear, “I will never say goodbye to you. I love you. You are Mine, and I am yours. Forever.”