In the Shepherd's ArmsSample

Never Be Shaken, Never Be Forsaken

For hasn’t he promised you,” I will never leave you, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!” (Hebrews 13:5b, TPT)

Have you ever been through a season where life feels dry and full of failures? Especially when you look around, scroll through social media, and all your friends seem to be thriving while you're stuck in this place. Even worse, the problems you've been wrestling with seem to linger, weighing you down.

And it's not like you haven't prayed. Maybe you've prayed for months, years, or what feels like forever – it's been so long that you can't even remember. And yet, you feel like you've failed. Slowly, you start to feel accused and then blame yourself and God.

Why can they succeed while I fail? Surely, there's something wrong with me, no?
Is it my fault, Lord? Are you angry at me, God?
Maybe God doesn't favour me like He does others. Could it be?
Maybe others are chosen by God, and I'm the outcast, no?

And so, we start to isolate ourselves and drown in a sea of self-pity.

Some Bible characters have been there too. One of them is Elijah.

Elijah found himself caught in a whirlwind of self-pity. When Jezebel became furious and threatened to kill him, he fled in fear and even wished to die. He was angry and disappointed with God. Despite just moments ago, God had demonstrated His power by sending fire from heaven. It's likely Elijah probably didn't anticipate Jezebel's retaliation. For a moment, he felt lost and bewildered. Why didn't God prevent Jezebel from making such threats? He, who was able to send the fire from the heaven, could He not send the fire to the palace? Perhaps that's what Elijah pondered.

However, God had a different plan than Elijah's thoughts.

We do not always understand God’s way. Yet one thing is certain – God does not change. His love and presence remain steadfast. He allowed Elijah to run and hide, and He was still with him, comforting and strengthening him.

Another story is that of Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Imagine his position, going from the beloved and pampered son of his father to a lowly slave. I'm sure every day he prayed and hoped that one day, Jacob would come to rescue him, and he would be set free. Things seemed to improve briefly when his master, Potiphar, began to trust him more. But the difficulties didn't stop. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him, and when Joseph refused, he was falsely accused and thrown into prison with no certainty when he would be released. Instead of freedom as a reward for his faith, Joseph’s situation became much worse. In that cold prison, he was even further from the hope of his father's warm embrace.

Isolated, with no certainty in sight. Often, we've felt that way too. What we pray for doesn't seem to come to pass, and our situation seems to worsen. Slowly, we feel lonely and as if God has abandoned us.

From both of these stories, we can see that when Elijah and Joseph felt lonely, God never abandoned them. He had a grand plan they couldn't see at the time.

God came to Elijah and strengthened him, assigning him new tasks. He did not come to scold Elijah, instead He cooked a breakfast for him.

God elevated Joseph to the second-in-command in Egypt and through him, saved his family and his people.

It's all a happy ending.

God never leaves us, never forsakes us. He has us engraved on the palms of His hands. He watches over us and ensures that our walls of protection are always there (Isaiah 49:16).

Trust Him, He is right there beside you. Whether you feel it or not or whether your situation is getting even tougher, He is carrying you on His shoulder.