You Are Never Alone

So are you feeling helpless right now? Great! Let God work in and through you - like the child who doesn’t attempt to drag a heavy saddlebag himself but waits for Dad’s help, believers who entrust themselves to the Lord will see God do great things for them. On the other hand children who insist they can carry the heavy saddlebag themselves will only become frustrated and may even hurt themselves.

I did get frustrated with my friends and even said things I should not have about God, like “Does it please you to oppress me…while you smile on the schemes of the wicked?” (Job 10:3). In his grace God did not strike me down for my insolence. In fact he must have smiled when I said about him: “He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. 33 If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, 34 someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more” (Job 9:32–34).

God himself has, of course, provided a mediator. That’s what Jesus is. He speaks for us to God the Father. And he also removed God’s rod of punishment from us by taking those blows upon himself at the cross. Are you surprised to hear me speak about Jesus? Sure, I lived 2,500 years before he was born but I knew about him from the word of promise God had given to Adam and Eve about someone who would crush the head of the serpent Satan. I even spoke about Jesus when I confessed, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” (Job 19:25, 26)

Does your heart yearn to see your Redeemer? If not, it could be that things are too easy for you. It could be that you’re too attached to the things of this world. But that’s foolish because everything here is going to be destroyed some day. And so in his love God may allow you to suffer now, so that you don’t end up suffering eternally. It’s like my shepherds. They would make the new shepherds walk without sandals for a time. It seemed mean of course but they were just trying to toughen up the new recruits’ feet so that they would be able to more easily handle the long days of chasing sheep over rocky, hard terrain.

It’s the same way God treats us. He may take your health and your wealth away so that you’re left with nothing except him and his Word. But that’s more than enough to sustain you. In fact that’s why God allowed me to suffer, so that you would have my example and could see how God continued to care for me even in the darkest hours. My suffering did come to an end. When it did, God gave me more children and more possessions than I had before. He also gave me another 140 years to live. That was great, but still nothing compared to the glories of heaven which I now enjoy and which awaits all believers. So hang in there no matter what you are suffering and be assured that you are never alone. Your God and your Savior is always with you. Amen.