Someone Who Will Always Be There

How often have you been through those times where it seemed as though you’d just lost your best and only friend? Maybe you were experiencing a really difficult time in life, you needed someone who would be there for you and yet no one seemed to care?

Jesus warned His disciples that they would abandon Him in a very critical hour. He said: “Look: An hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone” (John 16:32 HCSB).  It wasn’t long before that moment came. The evening before He was crucified, Jesus and His disciples were praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. As the temple guard and soldiers approached Jesus to arrest Him, Mark tells us: “all his disciples deserted him and ran away” (Mark 14:50 NLT). 

A short time later, Jesus found Himself in the midst of the deepest, darkest moment He had ever been forced to endure. He was under intense questioning by Pilate, while being openly ridiculed and reviled by the Jewish leaders and suffering extreme torment and torture by the Roman soldiers.

As the intensity of the situation heightened, Luke tells us that Peter denied he even knew who Jesus was. And as the cock crowed a third time, “the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times’” (Luke 22:61). Can you even imagine the loneliness Jesus had to be experiencing at that moment?

We have all been through our times of loneliness which led to bouts of despair. Those times when you couldn’t find a shoulder to lean on, arms to cry in, a friend to share with—abandonment was all you could feel.

The writer of the Proverbs tells us that “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (18:24 NIV). That friend is Someone who promises that He “will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He is Someone who will be right there for you and with you no matter how difficult the trials and tribulations may be. Peter encourages us to “give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7 NLT).

Regardless of the loneliness you may be experiencing, the difficulties your life is being put through, the total abandonment you are feeling from your closest friends and family members—remember, Jesus is Someone who will always be there for you. He sticks closer than the closest brother. He will never leave you, abandon you or forsake you. Simply trust Him to always be there for you, to step in and carry you through the difficulties and problems of your hectic life.

Scripture Reading: “Praise is rightfully Yours, God, in Zion; vows to You will be fulfilled. All humanity will come to You, the One who hears prayer. Iniquities overwhelm me; only You can atone for our rebellions. How happy is the one You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple. You answer us in righteousness, with awe-inspiring works, God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the distant seas; You establish the mountains by Your power, robed with strength; You silence the roar of the seas, the roar of their waves, and the tumult of the nations. Those who live far away are awed by Your signs; You make east and west shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it abundantly, enriching it greatly. God’s stream is filled with water, for You prepare the earth in this way, providing [people] with grain. You soften it with showers and bless its growth, soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges. You crown the year with Your goodness; Your ways overflow with plenty. The wilderness pastures overflow, and the hills are robed with joy. The pastures are clothed with flocks, and the valleys covered with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.” (Psalm 65 HCSB)

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, help me to learn to place my trust in You in every situation I face. Help me to recognize You as the Source of my help, hope and dependence. Help me to not be discouraged when those around me fail to be there for me when I need them most. Also, please help me to be strong for others when they need someone to talk to, to lean on, to trust in. Father, I thank You for Your love, Your protection, Your guidance and Your direction in my life. Thank You for always being there for me…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!