I am not alone
This morning, I needed a reminder that God is taking care of me. So often it seems I’m taking care of myself and, honestly, I grow weary of that feeling.
Reading Psalm 121 helped. I took the Psalm, broke it into three sections, then I applied verses from the New Testament that I can take with me throughout the day.
That is something I enjoy doing—taking a passage of scripture and finding other verses that apply. This not only helps me study God’s word but it helps me really think about how to apply it to my life. And I mean really think about it until it drops into my heart and soothes the feelings that are difficult to live with. Like feeling alone.
Today, Psalm 121 helped.
Part one
Psalm 121:1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?
Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Part two
Psalm 121:3-4 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Psalm 121:5-6 The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
Philippians 4:6
“Don’t be anxious about things; instead, pray. Pray about everything. He longs to hear your requests, so talk to God about your needs and be thankful for what has come.”
Part three
Psalm 121:7-8 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
2 Timothy 4:18
“And I know the Lord will continue to rescue me from every trip, trap, snare, and pitfall of evil and carry me safely to His heavenly kingdom. May He be glorified throughout eternity. Amen.”
My takeaway
God is inviting me to approach Him with boldness so He can demonstrate mercy and grace in my life. When I am feeling alone and responsible for my own life to the point of overwhelm, God’s presence—HIs mercy and grace—helps me step out of my “here on Earth” mindset and into a realization that the God of the Universe cares for me! That thought is so big in my brain I can not come to the end of it.
Also, I need not be anxious. Again, the God of the Universe cares for me! I can approach Him (with boldness, mind you) and pray about every little and big thing and all the stuff in between. I can talk to God and that is something for which I am thankful.
Finally, I can rest from my “taking care of myself” overwhelm because it really is the Lord rescuing me from evil. While life here on Earth might seem like an uphill battle and a solo journey sometimes, it isn’t. That is a lie from the evil one, because Jesus is always with me. And yes, I need flesh and blood help sometimes (more than I care to admit), but Jesus is with me when I have help and when I do not. (Maybe better said when I ask for help and when I do not, because sometimes I forget or neglect to ask…)
Reading this Psalm and doing the work of finding other verses to take into my day has put a smile on my face. I am still alone (physically). I still have responsibilities. But here are other realities that layer into my life and bring me more peace and trust in the One who watches over me:
God hears me.
God rescues me.
God is with me.
Now I can go into my day with the reassurance that I am not alone.
Hey, I might even find a human and ask for help with whatever it is I don’t want to take care of all by myself.
Imagine, asking for help.
