“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” (2 Timothy 4:16-17a).
It’s a terrible thing to have someone you trusted forsake you, especially when the chips are down. The above scripture is some of the last words that the Apostle Paul wrote while being in prison in Rome. He was soon to be beheaded, and many he trusted on this earth had forsaken him.
We may never have had anyone literally forsake us like Paul did, but I think we can all say that there have been times when we have felt all alone and that there was no one we could talk to.
In a recent documentary on PBS’s Nova Wonders, titled “Can We Build a Brain?” Nova takes us to China where chatbots are all the rage!
Meet Xiaoice (Jow-Ice) or “Little Ice” – chatbot software – software that you can text developed by Microsoft. All you do is text her and she immediately responds! Xiaoice asks one subscriber, “Who do you like to talk to?” His reply: “You. I feel that you are the only person who gets me.”
To many people in China she is their best friend. Nova Producer Michael Bicks says to one of the developers from Microsoft, “But hold it, she’s not human!” His reply: “What’s the difference?”
People are aching to have someone that they can talk to. Someone who they can tell all their problems to. Someone who will not judge or condemn them. Someone who understands them.
Many times, we are going through a problem or temptation that nobody else will simply understand. But wait a minute! We do! We have a Great High Priest who understands our infirmities—the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus invites us to come to Him, to give Him our burdens, and He promises that He will in no wise cast us out or turn us away.
Sometimes when I pray, I say – “Lord, here I am again with all of the good, the bad, and the ugly in my life!” And guess what? He listens and never turns me away. I say, “Lord, please fix what is broken in my life, things that I cannot fix!” I remember that the Old Testament calls him “Counselor!”
Just think about it for a moment. When we have car trouble, we go to the “owner’s manual.” If we have a Chevy that needs repaired, we take it to a Chevy dealer. If you have a Ford that needs repaired, well then, you get what you deserve! Lol.
God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He invites us to cast “all” of our cares upon Him!
When the Apostle Paul was in prison, those he trusted on this earth may have forsaken him, but he was not alone. Verse 17 says that “the Lord stood with him and strengthened him.”
Sometimes I think that we are put in situations where we feel all alone so that we feel compelled to turn to the one who truly is there, the one who will never leave us nor forsake us. I do want to say that I am blessed with a wonderful Christian wife, family and church that I can turn to at times.
Next time you feel all alone and don’t know who to talk to, look up, and call upon the Lord!
I want to end with the last part of a “tried and true” gospel song. Spend some quiet time singing it or reading it to yourself, and let it be an encouragement and healing to your soul….
“I’m never alone, no, never alone;
My savior is with me wherever I roam.
I hold to His hand, lean on His strong arm;
He is ever with me, and I’m never alone.”
God Bless,
Mike Damron