Sometimes I’ll read a bible verse and it’ll be like Rock Candy going off in my head: BOOM! BAM! ZAP! That’s what happened the other day when I read: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deut. 31:8) I read it, reread it, let it marinate, then it hit me. God is a 360-degree God! God is ahead of me. That means He’ll walk into a place, season, or occasion before I will. That means He puts Himself in harm’s way for me. But according to this verse, God is also WITH me. He’s next to me, arm in arm. That means that during times when I’ve been weak, He carried me because that’s what “being with” does. But this verse also says God will not abandon me. That means He won’t fall behind. He won’t make me feel like I’m walking this alone, wondering if He’ll catch up. Oh my gosh, what a revelation, especially if you struggle with fear or anxiety. This verse is a PROMISE, a truth, a FACT. We don’t need to be paralyzed or accept immobilization due to fear. Because…God isn’t just near, He’s 360 degrees around! You can’t get more coverage than that! Go God! Go you! Go God’s Word that comforts us, right when we need it.