May God Be with You!

The phrase “May God be with you” is a way of expressing good wishes, blessings, or prayers for someone. It means that you trust God to protect, guide, and help, indeed be or “go with”, the person you are addressing. It is often used in our deepest Faith contexts, and may commonly be said, before a journey, a challenge, or a farewell. Some of the Biblical and other sources of this phrase are:

1. The Bible, where it is used several times to encourage or comfort someone. For example, in 1 Samuel 17:37, Saul says to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”

2. We even see this phrase used in song “Vaya con Dios (May God Be With You)” by Les Paul and Mary Ford, which was a popular hit in 1953. The song is about saying goodbye to a loved one and wishing them well.

3. The benediction prayer, which is a common way of ending our worship services or a religious ceremony. It usually invokes God’s blessing and peace upon our congregations. For example, in Ephesians 6:23-24, Paul says, “Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters, and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.”

So you see this is not a trite statement. When we the Church invoke May God be with You, we are calling apon God to oversee your travels, your experiences whether positive or negative, and indeed your Life, with His Presence and Wisdom to guide and protect you … save you … from danger, build a hedge of protection around you, and give you Peace, in your Journey.