We are Never Alone

I had just left a home visit with a grieving widow and had listen to her share how alone she felt.   No matter the time of day, where she was or who she was with, there was an ever presence sense of aloneness with her.   Hour by hour, day after day; it was always the same.  There was rarely a break, few changes ever occurred; just near constant aloneness.  Loneliness had become her constant companion.  Ironic isn’t?

I was on my way back to my office from that visit…alone I might add.  I was thinking about how it must feel being so alone.  I have to admit that I had a hard time imaging it.  You see at my house, with a wife, four children and a dog named “Charlie” there is rarely a moment by yourself.  My struggle is trying to steal a moment or two here or there to be alone.   But even in those moments, I don’t feel “alone.” 

As I was pondering this unfamiliar idea of “aloneness,” in the background music was playing on my radio.  As I turned my attention to one of my favorite Southern Gospel groups (okay, I know what you’re thinking), I was blown away by what I heard, “Never Walk Alone” written by J.P. Williams (no relation) and Jeremy Johnson.   Here are some of the lyrics: 

Arms stretched opened wide. Barely hanging on

to life, Left to suffer all alone. You came for all

man kind to bridge the great divide. Somehow

ended up alone. Because of all the blood and

tears You shed. I will never know that kind of loneliness.

Your spirit never leaves me. Even when I'm

hurting. I don't have to bare that burden on

my on. You carried all the pain and buried all

the shame when You made that rugged tree Your

Righteous Throne. Because of You, I'll never walk alone. 

(Emphasis mine.)

“Aloneness” is unfamiliar because we are never alone.   

Moses had died but not before he had commissioned Joshua to take his place of leadership over God’s people, the Israelites.   Can you imagine how Joshua must have felt?   Joshua must have looked around and for the first time Moses wasn’t there!  Whoa!  A rush of aloneness must have swept over him.  But immediately God came to Joshua and said to him, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV, emphasis mine).  And perhaps he needed reminding from time to time, because in Joshua 1:9 God says again, “…Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (emphasis mine). 

The message of “I am with you” was spoken to Isaac as he re-dug the wells of his father Abraham.  It was the message that Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Haggai heard time after time and it was the message of Jesus just as he ascended in to heaven…. I AM WITH YOU!

We are never alone.   The room may be empty, we may be the only one around but we are not alone.   We may feel the absence of a relationship, the distance of a caring soul, but we are never alone.   The phone may never ring, the mail may never come, but we are never alone.  How do I know…because Jesus said so.  “I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20, NASB).   And no matter where we go, we can never escape the ever present, always near, presence of God. 

The psalmist asked where he could go to be alone.  Heaven?  No, God is there.  To the underworld?   No, God is there.  To the depths of the ocean?  No…God’s there too.  There is no place you can go that God is not there.   I AM WITH YOU…ALWAYS!

Do you feel alone?  Are you overcome by a sense of aloneness?  Call out to God.  Psalm 18:6 David says, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.”   And God delivered him (v.17), strengthened him (V.32), and gave him a song to sing (v. 49).  And He will do He will do the same for you.

A Carrot, An Egg and A Coffee Bean!!!

Recently a colleague shared this story…

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She then pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, Mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

The unknown author of the story pauses to ask the question, "Which are you?"

As I think about you and who is reading this e-devotional….I’m aware that some of you are single with children, others are married with children, some have only a spouse, and some are single but all of you are trying to move forward in your career and improve yourself.   Some are working full-time, others part-time and some of you are dealing with unemployment.   Many of you are trying to manage a job, a home, an education and everything else in between.  In the midst of it all…you may be facing uncertain times, pain and suffering, loss and grief and the list goes on.    Adversity may be your middle name.

In his book entitled “21 Reasons Bad Things Happen to Good People” Dave Earley says, “One of the many good things that can come from very bad things is a clearer, bigger perspective.  More important than knowing exactly why we are suffering is the knowledge gained of God through our suffering.  More significant than receiving an explanation for our pain is embracing a bigger view of God through our pain.” (p. 35)

In other words, adversity gives us an opportunity to gain a bigger perspective of God.   Our God is an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God who not only spoke the world into existence, but also has all the resources to provide the very thing we need….(Psalm 50:10).  

That means that no matter the adversity you face…God knows.   No matter the forces against you…God is greater.   No matter how alone you feel….God is there.   No matter what you need…God has it. 

So when faced with adversity how do you respond?

The rest of the story goes like this...

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity; do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of your life. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you changed by your surroundings or do you bring life, flavor, to them?

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?