Trials, tests, life’s toughest challenges, illness, death. They burn like fire. They make you feel very, very alone. Let’s talk about that, shall we?
First, welcome to “Mornings with Bishop Robert” — thanks for joining me … I’m grateful that you’re here. My goal is to introduce people to the Jesus they never knew, and help them get to know Him and His word personally – and better ! If our time together today speaks to your heart, then let me invite you to like, subscribe and share it with a friend!
If you’re feeling alone right now, this is a word of hope for you.
Let’s begin with the bottom line: You don’t have to be alone.
You don’t! A single promise can reveal itself as the bedrock upon which you may stand with sure footing, even in the midst of the flames.
There’s a large difference between desiring a time of solitude so you have the opportunity to reflect and remember well — and feeling abandoned. The pressures of problems and the pain of grief often send us into times of quiet reflection. But then there’s the times when the problems appear to grow overwhelmingly large and seem to block out the sight of all those we had hoped would stand with us in life’s worst moments. Times when we feel much more than “solitude” – when we feel neglected, rejected, deserted, and forgotten. And we can even feel … God-forsaken.
But the bedrock promise I spoke of shines a light into our darkness with today’s verse. You’ll find it in Deuteronomy 31:8. Here it is:
THE LORD HIMSELF GOES BEFORE YOU AND WILL BE WITH YOU;
HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU.
DO NOT BE AFRAID;
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED.
Because He goes before you, you know that He is leading you. He is the shepherd who leads us through the darkest of valleys. From your perspective, it may be too dark too see Him, but He is there. Never forget in the darkness what you learned in the light. His love will sustain you, even when you are at your weakest moment.
Because He will be with you, you are never alone. You may only see it in retrospect, but the day will come when His strength, presence and support will be clearly seen. Let His promise strengthen you now, even when you cannot see His presence. Faith is the the conviction of things not yet seen. Let that faith strengthen you, even before you see His deliverance. Having to see everything you believe is worse than believing everything you see.
Trust Him. He has promised NEVER to leave you or forsake you; so you are never, ever “God-forsaken.”
Three Hebrew slaves once faced the most difficult day of their lives. The king commanded they worship an idol he had set up. They were faced with a choice that appeared to have no good outcome. It seemed that they could either abandon God or lose their lives. They relied upon God’s promise never to abandon them, and so they refused to abandon Him. The king tried to make good on his threat to kill them, and threw them into a fiery furnace. But in the midst of the fire they found out how strong the foundation upon which they had stood truly was. And they learned that they were not alone. There was ANOTHER person who chose to join them in the fire. It was the Son of God, standing with them and protecting them.
And so, I repeat the bottom line: You don’t have to be alone. EVER.
When you feel alone, you are not. HE is always with you.
Sometimes unseen, but never not present.
Even in the fire.
So, do not be afraid. do not be discouraged. He will sustain you.
One day, you will see it clearly.
So stand strong. And wait.
You are NOT alone.
Even now.
