You're Never Alone

This last week has been one that I would rather forget or at least undo. Many of you already know that my nephew, Wayne Hughes, was murdered in California just a little over a week ago. This experience has taken me on a rollercoster of emotions, and questions that continue to race through my heart and mind.

It's at times like these that we most often question where God is in the midst of all of this. I have to admit that I have struggled with this question myself this last week. In my prayer and devotion time, I have cried out to Jesus for understanding in the face of a senseless situation, for hope in the midst of hopelessness and for His peace to fill my heart. I'm sure that you have or will be in a similar situation and i would like to share with you what I have discovered.

In Matthew 28, Jesus makes a promise to you, me and everyone who calls on His name. That promise is simply: "I will be with you always" Those words became the focus of my devotions, my prayers and my search for peace. I began to dig into scripture and discovered the truth behind the promise. Consider for just a minute Jesus promise, "you are not alone" in the face of these facts. We find Jesus with His disciples in the midst of the storm, with David in the valley of the shadow of death and in the midst of his enemies. He was with Danial in the lions den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in a fiery furnace, with Johna in the belly of the "whale" and Mary and Martha when their brother died.

As I read these and other accounts I began to feel His presence with me, to understand in the depth of my heart and soul that God is with us no matter what the situation, no matter how we are feeling or reacting, regardless of how we got there, Jesus is there! It is so comforting to know that when life doesn't make sense, when it gets to hard for us to take another step, when the foundation has given way and we feel as if our world is falling apart...Jesus is There! He is with us always! To carry us, to comfort us to encourage us with His love.

I pray that you will never have to face a struggle like the one my family is facing right now, but I know that you will have similar struggles of your own. And when you do, my you remember that you are never alone!

Walking with Jesus through this Journey,

Bob