Daily Reading — Deuteronomy 31–32 (KJV)
Click here to listen to Alexander Scourby read the King James Bible
In Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses gives Israel a promise that has steadied the hearts of God’s people for generations: “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8)
Twenty-four years ago I preached a watch night service while I was in Bible school in Pensacola. My wife was visiting her mother in Cleveland at the time. That night I preached from this very passage about the Lord going before His people and being with them. That promise steadied me then, and it steadies me now.
Today, twenty-four years later, my wife is again visiting her family in Cleveland. As I read Deuteronomy 31 this morning, the same verse came back to my mind. The circumstances may repeat, the years may pass, but one thing has not changed: God is still God, and His promises are just as true today as they were then.
Moses was speaking to a nation about to enter an unknown land without him. Their leader was leaving them, their future was uncertain, and their fears would have been real. Yet the promise was not in Moses, Joshua, or Israel’s strength. The promise was in the presence of the LORD.
“He it is that doth go before thee.” Before Israel ever stepped into Canaan, God was already there. Before tomorrow arrives, the Lord is already present in it. The believer never walks into a day that God has not already entered.
“He will be with thee.” The promise is not merely that God prepares the way, but that He accompanies His people along the way. Through the years—through changes, trials, victories, and ordinary days—the Lord remains present.
“He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee.” Men fail. Circumstances fail. Our own strength often fails. But the Lord never fails. Time does not weaken His word, and years do not diminish His promises.
Fear grips when leaders change, futures look dark, or years pile up—but the command is clear: fear not, neither be dismayed, because the promise stands on the character of God, not our circumstances.
Looking back over twenty-four years, the testimony is simple: the Lord has been faithful. The same promise that was preached then is just as real now. God still goes before His people, He is still with them, and He still never fails nor forsakes them.
Brother, whatever unknown land you’re facing today—trust the One who goeth before thee. His promise holds.
Keep reading—because the next chapter will remind us that when God’s people forget His faithfulness, He never forgets His word.
Tomorrow’s reading is Deut 33 – Josh 2
Until tomorrow, stay in the Book. 📖
Brother Tony