Tell Out My Soul

There was a time in my life during which my responsibilities as the bean counter of my household became overwhelming, occasionally these responsibilities still are. It was a dark time because we were struggling to pay our bills, there was so much uncertainty as to our income and we had young children to raise. The task of the financial management of my family was totally in my hands. It’s not an uncommon scenario particularly in these tough economic times. I felt trapped, confused, desperate to the point that life had become sheer misery, every day. The main issue, as I see it, that caused me to feel such worry and distress was that I felt alone in my plight. I felt that it was all up to me to solve our money problems and to rescue us from poverty; the burden was huge. Then I did the worst thing I could possibly have done, and that is, I stopped praying. I just didn’t realise that I was not alone in my struggle. God was with me all during that time but I did not go to him with these troubles. In my worry I shut everything else out including the one who was my greatest helper and friend.

Feeling that you are alone in a problem makes the problem infinitely worse. Jesus realised this all too well when he told his disciples, “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:18-20).

Jesus is ever present, whether we’re awake or asleep, whether we’re praying to him or when we are so wound up in our own worries that we’re not thinking of him. He affirmed this fact to us:  “I will be with you always even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). Our Lord does not take time off; he’s with us 24/7 and he’s always on call.

I will be with you always. If these words don’t give solace, then I don’t know what could. If I didn’t have this concrete reality in my life, that Jesus is right beside me every minute, I would find it next to impossible to deal effectively with so many of the challenges in my life. I have not been left alone, and I’m so glad that this has been revealed to me through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Just knowing that you’re never alone, that you have partnered up with God himself, means that you don’t have to do things all by yourself, that the sometimes enormous responsibilities that you have been given are absolutely shared ones. With Jesus beside you, things will be resolved, obstacles will be overcome, and comfort and support is always at hand. Jesus will never forsake us. Because our Lord is all merciful, all compassionate and all loving, he will never let us down or leave us to face our problems, no matter how big or how small, by ourselves. His very name, Emmanuel, expresses this. It means “God is with us,” and not even death on the cross could take him away from us.

I’m reminded of Paul’s words in Romans 8:38-39 when he says, “for I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There is a line in one of my favourite prayers that says, “help me to know that it is your hand holding mine through all the hours of this day.” This is a perfect way to start each day. You’re never, ever alone.

God bless!