God Says... "You are not alone."

By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)

Alone. Image by SSpivak. Courtesy of stock.xchng.

Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever thought you were swimming against the current of life? Have you ever said: "No one understands me." or "No one wants me around." or "No one cares."

I have, and I would venture to say most everyone has at some point. Maybe it was during your childhood or teenage years. It could have been as you were going through a very difficult situation. Or perhaps, it is because you seem to struggle with what others take for granted.

This may seem like a pat "Christian" answer, but you are NOT alone. No matter the circumstance. God cares for you, and He is there with you.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Some may respond and say, "God is not a 'real' person. He's up there, and I am down here going through 'xyz' all alone." Others might feel as though God has never been there for them or done anything good for them.

I'm sure Job could have felt that way when he lost his farm, his family, and his health. I imagine Daniel may have wondered about it as he was thrown into a lion's den after being caught praying. Maybe Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego feared such just before they were thrown into the fiery furnace....Or even Paul as he was imprisoned.

There are so many accounts in scripture of God's people going through trials, standing alone, and needing Him. In every one of them, God was there and He came through for them. But I would say none of them would have elected to suffer as their preferred method/solution. I am sure every one of them would have chosen to skip the bad situations all together, but that did not happen... but they were not alone... and God had a plan... and His plan was good.

I don't know what you are facing. I don't know what it is causing you to feel as if you are all alone. Whatever it is, I encourage you to trust God with it. He is there for you. The problem may not disappear. You may still struggle and suffer, but He will see you through... and His outcome will outshine your expectations.

It has for me. More than once. Never how I would have chosen, but always in a manner that has brought me further along in my journey. He has strengthened me, matured me, and blessed me. I have come to know: I am not alone for He is there with me.

Will you trust Him? Will you seek His companionship? Will you allow Him to see you through to the other side... even when things are not going your way?

Dusty Rayburn is a lay minister and fellow blogger. He lives in Locust Fork, Alabama, has been married six years and has one amazing daughter. In his words: "I am a Christian. I am not perfect, nor do I imagine I ever will be. My God is perfect. I am forgiven. I am loved. I am His." You can find him on Twitter and at Reflections on the Life of a Christian.

Comfort From God

By Pat

"Whenever the spririt from God came upon Saul, David would take up his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better and the evil spirit would leave him." (1 Samuel 16:23)

Do you ever feel the need for a comforting word from God? I know I do. In this scripture passage from 1st Samuel, Saul was being tormented by an evil spirit. But God provided comfort and relief for Saul in the form of David playing his harp.

What harps does God send us? My harps have shown up in various forms; a call from a friend, a timely song, the right passage of scripture, a word of encouragement (sometimes from a person I would not expect to hear it from). My harps have been the sound of a child's laughter to chase away the blues, or the soulful eyes of my beautiful dog. Whenever it's needed, God finds just the right thing to send my way at just the right time.

We all receive our own little personal, comforting touches from God. The question is do we recognize them as God's personal message to us? We must always seek God's touch, and strive to recognize it when it arrives. God sometimes uses very unconventional means to reach us. He knows exactly what to do! We must also allow God to use us to be a "harp" for someone else, and to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit to reach out to others with a smile, a hug, a random act of kindness. Who knows? It could be just the personal touch from God, just the harp song that's needed! God always finds a way to reach us when we need to feel His touch.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

The God of All Comfort

Updated on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:14AM by MAD21

By MAD21

There are so many people I know that are in the midst of healing in one form or another. Whether it's from a death of a loved one, a life-threatening diagnosis, abuse, depression, neglect... it's all around us. Have you noticed?

Even if you are living the life of your dreams, you will still have days that come crashing down around you. You know the kind. When you heart just literally aches. Someone hurts your feelings, you have a bad day at work, something you were looking forward to gets cancelled. Couple all of this with the compassion you may feel for your friends or family going through some serious hardship. It makes for a very emotionally draining time.

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