Your Daily Devotional for April 29, 2006

April 29, 2006

 

You're Never Alone

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

"At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion."

 

2 Timothy 4:16-17

 

If you ever feel like you're having a bad day or you're being persecuted for faithfulness, take a moment and read about the Apostle Paul in the Book of Acts. Although he was beaten, stoned, jailed, and fatigued from all that he had been through in his missionary journeys, he was able to shake off these challenges through the power of God. Sometimes in the Christian life, you may experience persecution just for trying to do right. There may be times when you feel you're all alone in your predicament, not knowing exactly what God is doing. But we can take comfort in the fact that what He is allowing in our life is always best for us.

 

Whatever circumstance you're in, know that God is always with you! Joseph was stranded in Egypt, 300 miles away from his family, after his own brothers sold him into slavery. Daniel was thrown in the lions' den by King Darius simply because he chose to pray three times a day. David was forced to hide in the cave of Adullum as Saul was determined to kill him. Elijah found himself alone in the desert while running from Jezebel. John the Baptist was confined in jail for preaching against Herod's adultery. We see in Matthew 26:36-40 that even our Lord Jesus felt abandoned and alone in the garden of Gethsemane because His disciples fell asleep!

 

When we're feeling left out and stranded, we can remind ourselves of God's promise in Hebrews 13:5b. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

 

When loneliness comes into our lives, we tend to allow it to paralyze us. We tend to become involved in the "paralysis of analysis." We sit around on our couch trying to figure out why we got into this situation, and feel sorry for ourselves. The Apostle Paul, after being cold, wet, and exhausted from that shipwreck on the island of Malta, must have felt loneliness in his heart. But even then, God was with him. Paul did not sit around pouting and sulking. He didn't shake his fist at God for all the unfair treatment he was receiving from both the Jews and the Romans. He didn't go to the other passengers to plan an escape. Instead, he kept busy. When he was stranded, he still had a servant's heart.

 

We can learn from the example set by the Apostle Paul and keep on going despite times of isolation. No matter what Satan may hurl at us, by the grace of God, we can go on for His honor and glory!

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