You Are Not Alone

Most of my life, I have felt alone. Maybe it is because I am an only child and growing up I played make believe by myself. Maybe it is because I have had more friends out of proximity than out of genuine relationship. Maybe it is because I am not great at putting myself out there in big sanctuaries and new situations. No matter what the root, I have struggled with the pains of loneliness. 

I have cried, complained, and grown bitter over my lack of companionship. I have hidden in fear of the unknown and the possibility of rejection, in life and relationships. It is paralyzing to feel like you are alone. Why would I want to go, do, and be if I have to do it all alone?

This sounds cliché on so many levels, but we are not alone. 

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Jesus has been with us.

Jesus is with us today.

Jesus is with us until the end.

We are not alone in anything we are going through, the things we are doing, and the opportunities and places we are about to walk into. Our situations can seem lonely physically as we look to the left and right, but God is forever present. In the brokenness of saying goodbye to the ones we love, or the diagnosis we didn’t see coming. In the celebration of answered prayers, and the blessing of new beginnings. God is with us. 

We do not have to stay in fear and panic, because God is with us. 

No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. Joshua 1:5

Just as God is with us, I believe He will provide us with genuine community. We are not meant to do this life alone. He may not give you a whole crowd to journey with, but He will provide you with friends to live life with. I know, because God provided friends for me in my loneliness, when my world was upside down and I couldn’t find my way back up. When my Nana died, I was shattered and when I was diagnosed with a congenital birth defect at 20, I was defeated. But, God was with me providing comfort as I cried every tear and giving me the strength and courage I needed as I recovered from surgery. He provided for me in healing and friendship.

I am not as lonely anymore, but I still struggle with feeling alone. On the days I struggle, I have to be brave enough to believe that God is never leaving me. 

He is never leaving you. We can do hard things and new things because, we are not alone in them.

God is with us. 

Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take. Joshua 1:9 (MSG)

You are not alone.  

You are brave, because God made you brave and is with you when the fire is blazing and when the grass is green. God is with you. And with Him with you can walk boldly into a room of strangers and walk into the unknown before you.

You have never been in this alone. 

- Hannah