never alone...

I’m never sure why this always amazes me, but I am constantly amazed at how God works in my life. What’s great is that I don’t have to look for the lighting strikes and thunder claps to know God is in my life. God is great because God works in more subtle ways. God works through the people that I interact with and most times it is in the off handed comments where I feel God the most. I love having real life conversations because that is where God is: in real life. Real life is messy. We are not perfect. We don’t always feel great about ourselves or life. Ignore me if I’m wrong, but we rarely feel like we truly belong. I can honestly say that I don’t wake up every day thinking: I’m never alone!

This feeling of wanting to be accepted or belonging somewhere is something that I know all too well, and I bet most you who are reading this have felt the same way. We all have those moments where we feel connected to the world, to God, and to one another, but it seems that those moments are fleeting. Most times (at least for me) it feels like I am grasping at something that is never quite within my reach. Most likely, I am looking for this acceptance in the wrong places, like checking Facebook thousands of times to see if anyone has liked or commented on a status or picture, and when there is none maybe my self-esteem or sense of self-worth drops a little bit.

Now, that’s a very shallow example (I know this). But what about those times when we truly feel alone. You know what I’m talking about: in the pain of a broken heart, the brokenness of abuse, the shame of our actions, sitting in a corner crying out for God as you look at your life which seems like it’s in shambles. I’ve been there, and I’m sure that you have been there too. At the time, it feels like we’ll never see the light or make it through, but as I look at my life I realize God has given me the tools to get through those moments of loneliness and despair.

I’ll give you an example, six months after my 16th birthday I was driving a delivery truck, and I also made sure to have the radio on because I do my best thinking while driving and listening to the radio. I’ll never forget the first time I heard the song “Never Alone.”I thought: “What a great song.” I didn’t know who sang it and I always hoped I’d hear it again, and I did catch it a few times here and there. But there was really nothing going on in my life that would warrant that song touching me the way it did, but I think God was speaking to me because fast forward a few years and I listened to that song on repeat trying to convince myself of its truth.

God works minor miracles in our lives daily. Are we paying attention? Do we surround ourselves with people who amplify God’s presence? Or do they tone it down? The people we surround ourselves with are the people God uses to reach our hearts. On the flip side, do you allow God to shine through you for others? Do you amplify God or shut him out?

I am asking myself these questions too. I don’t have all the answers, but I pray that God open my heart that I can know with certainty that I am truly never alone.

I cried out with no reply

We’ve all been there. Cried out, called out to God, and not heard or felt a response.

And I can't feel you by my side

So often we want to reach out and touch something tangible when we’re hurting. Maybe that’s why we run to the arms of someone who isn’t good for us, or we seek out the wrong attention. We need that sense of comfort.

So I'll hold tight to what I know

You're here, and I'm never alone

This is our faith. It’s the believing in the things we can’t see, can’t touch. It’s trusting that:

We cannot separate

You're part of me

And though you're invisible

I'll trust the unseen

It’s not easy, but it’s what we have to do.

Never Alone (Official Video) - BarlowGirl