One of the biggest lies the devil will tell you is you’re alone in your suffering. But, don’t fall for it! It’s a trap he’s setting to make you feel isolated. I fell for it for far too long! I was deceived into believing the Lord didn’t understand what I was experiencing. In short: I was wrong!
You’re Never Alone: The Comforter Dwells Within You
First, the Lord never leaves us. He dwells within our hearts as the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of you if you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior. You’re never alone in your suffering no matter how “alone” you may feel.
It’s easy to operate on a type of “auto-pilot” when you’re in the thick of things. This is part of what I refer to as “survival mode”. Slipping into “survival mode” makes it easy to be emotional. Often, walking through difficult seasons for prolonged periods of time take a toll on our mental health. It’s easy to become jaded by what we’re going through.
There’s an overwhelming fatigue that tends to set in during prolonged periods of suffering. You’re dealing with endless doctor’s appointments, medical bills, insurance, your body’s not at its’ best, and there’s a whole host of other things to navigate. As a result, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s truths because it’s all so overwhelming.
God’s word teaches us that we are never alone no matter what we’re facing, no matter our struggles, no matter what our circumstances are or how unique they may be. God knows EXACTLY what we’re going through at all times, even when we’re not on the best of speaking terms with Him.
He Never Leaves Us
God promises He will never leave us. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10. This scripture tells us we should NOT be afraid because Christ is with us! He never ever leaves us. When it seems that He’s distant, it’s always because we left Him. Not the other way around.
One of the definitions for “uphold” from the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is “to support or to sustain; to keep from falling or slipping; to support in any state”. The Lord supports and sustains us through His Holy Spirit. Once you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for you when you pray because in our flesh we don’t have the right words to say.
A Refuge Can Never Leave
Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” “Refuge” is defined by the Webster’s 1828 Dictionary as: “shelter or protection from danger or distress; that which shelters or protects from danger, distress or calamity; a strong hold which protects by its strength, or a sanctuary which secures safety by its sacredness; any place inaccessible to an enemy; an expedient to secure protection or defense”. The Bible says God is our refuge. A refuge can never leave. We’re constantly under attack by our enemy, the devil. We need constant shelter and protection from the danger and distresses of this world
To be a “very present help”, the Lord must be present! We are always in His care. In short, we are still in His care even when it doesn’t feel like it and even more so, when it doesn’t feel like it.
Psalms 34:18 says “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart…” When my body became disabled to the point of needing to leave my career, I was broken hearted. I was devastated. But, the Lord was still “nigh” or near to me in my brokenness. I didn’t turn my back on Him completely. But, I also wasn’t talking to Him like I should. I was hurt and confused by what was happening; however, He was still with me through it all! He’s with you too! Let Him be that “present help” to you. Run to the refuge you can only find in Him. He’s not going anywhere! Friend, He’s waiting with open arms for you!
He’s Your Friend & Companion
The Lord is your friend. To clarify, He’s the kind of friend that “sticketh closer than a brother”. “Man” will fail you, even when they’re at their best. It’s inevitable because flesh is fallible. There’s times when friends and family won’t understand how you feel or what you’re going through in your chronic illness. They will most likely say the wrong things. Even when they’re trying to help or be sympathetic, their words might be hurtful or make you feel defensive. We never have to defend ourselves with the Lord. He knows what we’re going through; we don’t have to prove anything to Him!
It’s Not Just You-I Promise
Lastly, somewhere in this big ole’ world there’s another person dealing with something similar as you. I understand being a unique situation. My story is a bit unique. One of the reasons I felt alone was because I had a myriad of different things going on that didn’t usually happen to “thirty-somethings”.
“Thirty-somethings” don’t have hip replacements. The cute little curve in my femur was rare. It was also rare that I had already been living with fibromyalgia since my early twenties. As more time passed and I began to be more open to sharing my story, I learned other people my age and even younger were facing similar circumstances. In short, our stories may not have had many details in common. But, you’d be surprised at how well you can relate to others living with chronic pain or a different chronic illness from yours.
In conclusion, remember you’re never truly alone in your suffering. If you have Christ, He dwells within you as the Holy Spirit. The Comforter is always with you making intercession on your behalf. God never leaves us. When we feel distant from Him, it’s always because we left Him. Not the other way around. God is our refuge and a refuge can never leave! Jesus is the kind of friend that “sticketh closer than a brother” and that’s the best kind of friend you could possibly have. Man will fail you every time, even when they’re at their best because flesh equals fallible. Lastly, there’s someone else in this world somewhere with a similar situation as yours, even if your situation is unique. Now tell me, do you still feel alone?
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