You Are Not Alone

Mar 22, 2024 | by Jennifer Wade

The last couple of months have not been the easiest. There have been times I felt alone and times I felt used by people who I thought loved me. About 6 weeks ago, I was sitting at a traffic light after dropping Anniston and Avery off at school. As parents, we usually just “hold it together” until the kids aren’t around. I am sure most of you can relate. That is exactly where I was. In that moment, tears began to stream down my face as I clearly heard God say, “Jennifer- you are NOT alone! Remember what I said in My Word- I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 is a scripture that I have quoted many times and even used to encourage others. But in this moment, I was the one that needed the reminder. Unlike popular belief, Pastors have tough days too! So, I determined that over the next few weeks I would study this scripture in more depth and allow it to change and heal my “hurt” heart.

We have all had people walk away from us- whether family or friends. It can hurt deep down to our core if we allow it. But, over the years I have learned that God brings people into our lives for specific seasons and he allows them to leave us. It is up to us how we handle these different seasons of life. We can choose to be bitter or we can choose to find the joy in it.

When Jesus says, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” he is making a promise! He is making a personal promise. 2 Corinthians 1:20 states, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” That is why we say that all of God’s promises are YES and AMEN! That scripture has so much power. It has the power to encourage hearts, power to strengthen faith, and power to get you through the toughest of times”.

As I was studying more on this, I learned the Greek word for “leave” in Hebrews 13:5 is not the typical Greek word for “leave”. It is not how we would use the word as in walking away. In this passage, it literally means to “uphold” or “sustain.” So, He is saying “I will not cease to uphold you or sustain you.” How amazing is this promise?

So, it doesn’t matter what you are facing. You can know that God is with you. Of course, we know he won’t walk away from us, but it is even greater than that. He is going to uphold you and sustain you with His strength, His peace, and His joy. I don’t want to try to do it in my strength, my peace, or my joy. Look at your life up to this point. Do you ever wonder how you’ve made it this far? God was sustaining you and promises that He will continue to do so. You just have to trust Him at His Word and know that His promises are Yes and Amen!

God is so faithful! After I studied this scripture further, God gave me just another one of those precious moments where He says “See…I told you!” I was literally sitting at the same traffic light where He spoke to me before, but this time a song came over the radio. I want to share a few of the lyrics with you by Kari Jobe.

- I am not alone.

- You will go before me.

- You will never leave me.”

If you have not heard this song, I strongly suggest you find it. It is called “I Am Not Alone.” It will bless you. But, as this song played, I began to just cry out in thankfulness. It was a reassurance of that precious promise that Jesus made that He would uphold me through it all. I could put my complete trust in that promise and never feel alone again. Jesus knew what it was to be comforted even in the face of abandonment. When loneliness tries to overtake us, the first thing we need to do is to turn our focus away from what we don’t have and to strictly focus on HIM.

I love you all dearly and pray this encouraged you as it did me!

Pastor Jennifer