“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son…..”John 3: 16 “ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends.” John 15: 13
Are you sitting in your room, your car, on your couch, etc, thinking about how you wish you had someone in your life? At this point, it’s not even about marriage, you just want a friend. You just want someone to talk to. Someone who understands you. You want someone to support you. You want someone to just be there. You wonder, what is wrong with me?.
I remember as a little girl sitting in my grandmother’s living room, upset embracing that feeling of being alone. My cousins and siblings refused to play with me. It was a hot summer day and this was a time where kids actually went outside to play, but I was stuck inside because I didn’t want to deal with the negativity of my family. I was half in tears, half angry because I just wanted someone to accept me. It didn’t help that I had to watch Barney and I felt like I was too old to watch Barney. (This was before cable was a thing, and no it wasn’t that long ago people.) My grandmother comes and asks what is wrong with me. I tell her that they don’t want to play with me. Her response rings in my ear to this day, she said, “Baby, Jesus will be your friend when no one else will.”
See, we sing “I have a friend in God”, but we don’t always understand what this means. We have quoted John 3: 16 since children’s church, but have we really mediated on what this means for us? Have we really thought about what John 15: 13 means? One day at school, as a teacher a gunman was spotted on campus. (This is a true story). As my students and I huddled in a corner in the cafeteria barricaded by tables, no one wanted to be left alone. Thankfully it was an isolated incident and the gunman did not enter the school. Afterward, my students came to me and said, “We knew that you would protect us, I can’t say the same for the other teachers, but we know you love us.” To be honest, I was indeed willing to sacrifice for my students as I’m sure every teacher in that building was.
Why am I bringing this story up? When someone loves, they sacrifice. They don’t leave you just because things got tough. When things get crazy in our lives, we often “feel” as if God is not there. My dears, this is a LIE. The Bible says that He will NEVER leave or forsake us. Just as my students expected me to be there for them, just as you expect your loved ones to have your back, our God who created you is there for you at all times. Our God who loves you enough to sacrifice His son loves you enough to be there with and for you at all times. Don’t forget that he is omnipresent. This means that he is everywhere and will hear the cries of a humbled heart.
When I feel as if God is not there, I literally speak out loud and I have said, “Lord, I cannot feel you, but I know your word is TRUE, and your word says that you are with me. Your word says that you have NOT forsaken me, so I’m going to continue this conversation as if I can feel you….” I then pour my heart out to God. I not only pour my heart out to God, but I also read my word to hear from Him.
See, when we have to be careful to feed ourselves the Truth during times like this. It can be very dangerous to not seek God’s face alone during this time. I know I’m not the only one who has ended up in a bad situation because I didn’t seek God, but I sought the comfort of man or things. Don’t just talk to God, open your Bible and spend QUALITY time with Him. My dears, God is indeed a friend to those who knock and accepts Him as such. I talk to God ALL the time about any and everything. He is truly my best friend and I’ve learned that I can be honest with Him. I’ve learned that He actually does care about even the seemingly small things in my life. I am a friend of God, and He has said He wants you to be His friend too.
Dear God, I am not feeling your presence, but your Word says you are there. Lord, I have a lot of emotions right now, and I really just want to be held and embraced. I really want to know that I’m not in this alone. I have been through so much and I know you told me not to worry about tomorrow, but Lord I need your love to surround me for encouragement. So, Lord, I humble myself today to receive your friendship. Lord, show me how to embrace you when I feel alone. Help me to know and understand how to have a relationship with you so that we can have a true friendship. In Jesus name, Amen.