Have you ever been given the gift of #notalone? It’s a beautiful moment when you open up your heart and share a painful journey, a deep struggle, or a raging battle and the listener looks at you with understanding and assures you that you are not alone. Maybe they’ve also fought your battle or they’ve endured a heart-rending experience that rocked their own world… and survived. Maybe their gift of #notalone is the willingness to walk with you through your valley and celebrate with you on the other side. Knowing that we are not alone lifts our spirits in difficult seasons.
Yet, we know that having someone journey with us does not necessarily spark joy. So how does #notalone become a pathway to joy?
Let me share with you a beautiful piece of poetic truth found in Psalm 139:
1 Lord, You know everything there is to know about me.
2 You perceive every movement of my heart and soul,
and You understand my every thought before it even enters my mind.
3–4 You are so intimately aware of me, Lord.
You read my heart like an open book
and You know all the words I’m about to speak
before I even start a sentence!
You know every step I will take before my journey even begins.
5 You’ve gone into my future to prepare the way,
and in kindness You follow behind me
to spare me from the harm of my past.[a]
With Your hand of love upon my life,
You impart a blessing to me.
6 This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible!
Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength.[b]
7 Where could I go from your Spirit?
Where could I run and hide from Your face?
8 If I go up to heaven, You’re there!
If I go down to the realm of the dead, You’re there too!
9 If I fly with wings into the shining dawn, You’re there!
If I fly into the radiant sunset, You’re there waiting![c]
10 Wherever I go, Your hand will guide me;
Your strength will empower me.
11 It’s impossible to disappear from You
or to ask the darkness to hide me,
for Your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night.
12 There is no such thing as darkness with You.
The night, to You, is as bright as the day;
there’s no difference between the two.
13 You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside
and my intricate outside,
and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.[d]
14 I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex!
Everything You do is marvelously breathtaking.
It simply amazes me to think about it!
How thoroughly You know me, Lord!
15 You even formed every bone in my body
when You created me in the secret place,[e]
carefully, skillfully shaping me[f] from nothing to something.
16 You saw who You created me to be before I became me![g]
Before I’d ever seen the light of day,
the number of days You planned for me
were already recorded in your book.[h]
17–18 Every single moment You are thinking of me!
How precious and wonderful to consider
that You cherish me constantly in Your every thought!
O God, Your desires toward me are more
than the grains of sand on every shore!
When I awake each morning, You’re still with me.
(The Passion Translation, emphasis added)
Read it once, twice, even three times! Let the truth of His presence wash over you. God is always with you! Everyone else in your life may have abandoned you, but God never will!
“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake {abandon} you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
The Passion Translation says it this way in Hebrews 13:5: “…for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t He promised you, ‘I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!’” He is holding you safe in His arms and He won’t let go! What a beautiful picture of a father’s love!
When we are hurting, angry, ashamed, or questioning, our tendency is to run away from God. Many of us have been taught that God is an angry, militant master just waiting for us to screw up so that He can drop the gavel and pass sentence on us. But while He is holy (thus the need for Jesus’ sacrifice to cover our sin), He is a loving Father who adores us and is waiting to give us the blessings He has stored up for His children. He is waiting for you to turn your face to Him so He can be everything you need. Instead of running away, run to Him! He is waiting with arms open wide!
“I am Yahweh, your mighty God! I grip your right hand and won’t let you go! I whisper to you: ‘Don’t be afraid; I am here to help you!’” Isaiah 41:13 TPT
Trouble will come, that’s the reality of life. No one is exempt. But here’s another promise: “But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:1-2 NIV
You are not alone! Even in your darkest time, your deepest pain, your most desperate situation, He is near. Whisper His name, allow His love to wash over you. Run to Him! #notalone!
My prayer for you today is that you would feel the presence of a loving God! That you would feel His loving arms wrapped around you and His voice calling your name. You are not alone!
Live Loved,
P.S. Isaiah 49 is one of my favorite Scriptures! I love the idea that God has tattooed my name on His hand (as if He would ever forget!) 🙂 If you’ve never read The Passion Translation, I encourage you to explore it (not all books have yet been translated but you can read: Isaiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and the New Testament). The translators also include many footnotes to help us understand what the inspired Biblical authors were trying to communicate to us.
