He Is Always There

Psalms 31:9-13 Have mercy on me, O Lord , for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.

Is there anyone out there who has ever felt lonely, abandoned, betrayed, or despised, even by family, or those who once we called "friends"? This is life, my brothers and sisters. We live in a world of imperfect people, to include self. It may be that our actions towards others have also made them feel this way. However, in the darkest of moments, when we are feeling like we have no one in our lives who care enough to check on us, help us, or simply fellowship with us; we do have One who never abandons us. As a matter of fact, we have One who remains faithful, even when we are unfaithful. His Name is Jesus. I love that King David always had a balance in writing the Psalms he wrote. Although he expressed his sadness or despair, he always acknowledged God's faithfulness, love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, protection, and deliverance (just to name a few). In the very next couple of verses (14 & 15), in today's Psalm, David wrote, "But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me." When all is said and done, the only One who never forsakes us, and is our faithful Companion, Jesus. In Psalm 27:10 we read, "When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me." When we put greater trust in men to be our companions, our providers, protectors, or the ones who fill that void that only God can fill, we set ourselves up for misery, loneliness, and disappointment. Yes, God wants us to have fellowship, and companionship, but we must never make it a priority over, or a replacement for, the one intimate relationship that should always be number one in our lives; our relationship with Jesus. If we value our time with the Lord above all others, when persecution comes, when loneliness comes, when abandonment comes (and they will come); Jesus will always be the One who is there with us, to take care of us, and shelter us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).