Pastor’s Corner: “Never Alone”
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
I am sure you have heard the expression: “Misery loves company!” That usually has a negative connotation, but at the same time it contains a basic reality. When things in life seem to be falling apart, it seems imperative that we have someone near us to help us bear the load. What happens when we feel that we are all alone in the time of trouble? The answer is that we have a much harder time dealing with things.
Sometimes life may feel like a struggle. Many are grieving the loss of a loved one. Others have experienced the pain of divorce or broken relationships. Some have lost jobs. Many are facing huge debt. Others are hurting for grown children who seemed to have lost their way. Some are facing new diagnosis and health issues. Others are still waiting for answered prayers, feeling like God has somehow forgotten. And many may be surrounded by people, yet lonely inside, struggling through depression and darkness, battling worry, facing big fears, feeling lost in a sea of doubt, wondering if God even sees…or cares. Genesis 16:13 (NIV) “You are the God who sees me…” He does see. He does care.
It is easy to become so overcome with our circumstances that we forget that God has a plan and a purpose for our life. In the midst of our pain and loneliness, He holds out His arms and calls us to come to Him. Do not become caught in the trap of feeling that there is no hope. God does not work on the same time schedule that we do. Joseph knew years of loneliness before he was elevated by God to a position of being able to save His family. Moses had to spend 40 long and lonely years in a desert wilderness before God called to him from the burning bush and sent him to lead God’s people out of slavery.
Loneliness is real but the love of God is ever present. John 14:16-18 (ESV) – And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
No matter what we go through, God is there. No matter how hard it is, God is with you. No matter how we feel, we are never alone. There is great comfort in knowing that we are never alone. No other human can make that promise to us. Their love and being with us is only temporary at best. We all get busy. We all have other things to do. However, God never does. God is such a good Father and promises that in our times of feeling alone, we just need to call on Him and He promised to send the Spirit of truth to come. He will send Himself to us as our helper. You are never alone, never hopeless, never too far from His love.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton