Always There

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11

A leading psychotherapist said that after 25 years of speaking with his clients, the number one fear people have in life, to his surprise, was not death or dying. It was not terrorism, or even financial reverses. By far, the greatest fear people have is “ultimate loneliness.” Of all the human emotions we possess, perhaps the most devastating is loneliness. The silence of loneliness is deafening. You can hear it in the abandoned child, the quiet home, the empty mailbox, the long days, the longer nights, a forgotten birthday, and a telephone that never rings. The effects of loneliness can be life ending.

If anyone knew about loneliness, it was King David. Before he was officially made the King of Israel, he lived his life on the run from King Saul – who was so jealous of David he wanted to kill him. David lived much of his life being pursued and attacked by his enemies. He often cried out to God in the psalms he wrote, questioning God for the hardships He allowed into David’s life. “Why?” was a common question in David’s prayers.

While David struggled to understand what God was doing…or not doing…there is one thing he clearly understood – God was worthy of praise in any and all situations…even the really hard ones. Even when he couldn’t see God working, David trusted God’s heart. And while he definitely poured out his questions and feelings to God in prayer, somehow he always ended up praising God for being so…well…God. Even in his despair, fear, and yes, loneliness, David trusted his God. And we can do the same.

Loneliness is hard. It hurts to feel forgotten or ignored. It hurts to be left out or overlooked. In these times it is easy to forget that you are never alone. It is easy to put your hope in people rather than in God, which only leads to disappointment if those people fail you. But there is one who has never – and will never – fail you. Put your hope in Him above all else. If you do, even when you find yourself alone, you won’t have to be lonely because He has promised to always be with you.

God, thank You for always being there for me. Even when I cannot understand what You are doing, or see Your hand at work, I can trust that You are with me. Help me to always put my hope in You above everything and everyone else. In Jesus’ name, amen