33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
There are times in everyone’s life when we feel alone. Teenagers often feel alone thinking that their parents don’t understand them, they don’t fit in with the popular crowd in school, or they’re not sure they even like themselves. The elderly can feel alone when they have lost many of their friends; they may have lost a spouse or a child. They may have had to sell their home or had to move into a nursing home far from family. Young mothers can feel alone, unsure of their ability to cope with a newborn and without the stimulation of adult conversation. When all the children have left a home, the parents often feel alone, wondering who they are now that their parenting days are over. Retirees often have a sense of loss of their identity.
When a tragedy strikes, we can even feel abandoned by God. Jesus is speaking to the apostles in this passage knowing that they will abandon him and scatter in fear, leaving him alone.
However, he is also telling them that he is not alone; the Father is with him and will not abandon him. Even when he quotes Psalm 22 while he hangs on the cross, he is stating his firm belief that he is not alone, his Father who has been with him all along, is with him even then. It is the same with us.
No matter what is going on in our lives, God is with us, a loving Father who will never leave us alone. I have always liked the verse in Isaiah 49 that lets us know that “Though a mother may forget her child I will not abandon you.” If we are feeling alone, turn to the Lord.
Close your eyes, sit in a favorite chair, picture the Father’s presence beside you and breathe in his love.
Loving God and Father, you did not abandon your Son, Jesus, in his hour of need and you will not abandon us. May we always be aware of your loving presence in good times and in bad, and give you thanks and praise. Amen.
