Never Alone

It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

IT WAS QUITE possibly the longest flight of my life. The clock had slowed down to a snail’s pace, and everything around me smelled like a combination of fast food and body odor. My internal narrative was a wreck: Why am I doing this? Who do I think I am? This entire situation is absurd.

As we bounced onto the tarmac and taxied to our gate, fear rose within me in the form of stomach acid. In the past, people had told me I was the perfect picture of confidence, but today I was the perfect picture of fear.

Several months prior, with gusto and bravery, I had signed up for a women’s writers’ conference that was several states away. I had done so while sitting in my pajamas with a warm cup of coffee in my living room. In other words, I had signed up in my comfort zone. But this conference was taking me way out of that. It needed to be tackled with bravery and heels, and I wasn’t sure I was up for the task. Plus, I was attending the conference alone. For me, this was an extrovert’s worst nightmare.

But it’s not just extroverts who panic about being alone. It’s humanity. Being alone is one of our biggest fears. And we can find ourselves there in so many ways: our feelings, an illness, a stage of life, a new situation, a marriage, our dreams, a full airplane.

But this is where grace rides in on a white horse, dismounts, puts an arm around us, and says, “You are not alone.” And this grace is God Himself. I find great comfort in Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (NIV).

God is with me wherever I go. Wherever. That includes a scary conference. A hospital room. A leadership position. A confrontation. A new state. A funeral. A bus stop. Nothing is beyond His notice, and He longs to be with us. Didn’t Jesus leave the comfort of the heavenly realm to put on skin and get as close to us as He possibly could? Doesn’t He get even closer with His Holy Spirit? Doesn’t God tell us that He’s there before we are in whatever direction we are heading? Yes.

We are not alone. Ever. He is with us. Even when we can’t feel Him or see Him. By showing up on my own to a conference where I knew no one, God showed up too. He led me to meet three beautiful women that weekend, one of whom became the editor for my book on motherhood. And God refined my faith in the entire process. Refinement comes from taking steps of faith with just you and your God.

GRACE REFLECTION: Read Psalm 139:7-12. What assurance does this passage give you? What promise can you cling to?