You are not alone!

Have you ever had a day that you wanted to press rewind on? Today is that day for me! I fell asleep last night without setting my alarm clock and totally blew apart the plan that I had constructed in my mind for today. Everything just went left quickly and I have been praying diligently for a restart button. As I sat down to write, nothing was coming and I found myself getting more and more frustrated. I said, “Lord, what in the world?!” And do you know what His response was? Encourage the people…Ummmm? What? I’m really just trying to get myself together at this point. I’m just asking for a Rhema word for MYSELF! Again, I heard, encourage the people.  Don’t you love it when God asks you to minister to someone else what you need? If I’m honest, the answer to that question is no! Sometimes I want to say, what about me?! But I’ve learned that God knows best and if I just obey, He will give me what I need. So, I waited and waited and I heard God say…you are not alone. I wanted to cry because at that moment that’s where I was…alone in my frustration, in my challenges, in my worry. Up until that point, I couldn’t shake myself out of that place enough to encourage you but having God remind me that He was with me, woke me up! So, I’m going to give you the same message. You are not alone! God is with you!

Some of you have been dealing with some difficult situations in your lives. You have been asked to make some decisions, accept some assignments, and overcome some challenges that you don’t feel equipped for. Truth be told, you don’t even see how God would even consider you. But today, God told me to remind you that you are not alone. I opened my bible app and the first scripture I saw was “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9, ESV) Well, then! I guess it can’t get much clearer than that! You see, when God spoke this to Joshua, Moses had just died. Immediately, he was in placed in charge of the Israelites and the task of leading them to the Promised Land. Imagine the stress that Joshua was under. Even though, he knew that Moses was going to die, his entire life changed in an instant. It’s one thing to be the assistant but now he was in the position of leader. I would imagine fear and loneliness would be at the top of the list of emotions. But God speaks directly to Joshua and tells him exactly what to do.

“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.  “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” (Josh. 1: 5-8 NLT)

Isn’t that comforting? God made sure that Joshua knew that he wasn’t in it alone. He gave clear instruction and assurance of His presence. God essentially says, don’t worry about this! I’ve got everything under control. You just have to study my word and obey and success is yours! In other words, God told Joshua that he was not alone.

Perhaps you are in the midst of a Joshua moment. You are looking at your life and it seems that everything has changed. You are right on the brink of a brand new assignment or transition, or a household change and though God has been speaking, you feel out there, lost, and alone.  You all of a sudden have to adjust to a new normal. But God wants you to know today that you are not alone. Just like He encouraged Joshua, He is present with you. Isn’t that good news?! Isn’t it comforting to know that you are not on your own in this? Doesn’t it give you a sense of peace to know that God is right there, covering you, strengthening you, speaking to you? You see sometimes, the voices of your circumstance and your struggle and your challenges are so loud in your ear that you can’t recognize the still small voice of God reminding you of His presence. You have complicated matters so much that you miss the simple fact that God is with you. But be encouraged today! God has not abandoned ship. He has not moved on to someone else’s issue. He has not forgotten about you. Nope, He is with you wherever you go! You are not alone.

 Amen