You Are Never AloneSample

God Is with You in the Ordinary

Perhaps you are acquainted with the downward spiral of feeling lonely and unloved. If you know this feeling, I want to tell you that you aren’t alone. I don’t mean that you aren’t alone in feeling this way. I mean you literally aren’t alone. 

That raw, dark sense of isolation and powerlessness? It isn’t here to stay. The truth is that you are never truly on your own when Jesus is in your life (see Matthew 28:20). You can believe in the tender presence and mighty power of Christ. You can trust that God will carry you. You can know that you’re stronger than you think because God is nearer than you know. Jesus wants to show you a miracle-working God who loves you, cares for you, and comes to your aid. 

John answers many of our questions about God’s presence through the life-giving miracles of Jesus that he presents in his Gospel. The purpose of these miracles, as he writes, is so we may have life-giving belief and abundant, robust, and resilient faith (see John 20:31). Life happens when we believe. The signs that John recounts are each intended to stir conviction in this promise: we are never, ever alone. 

Through this faith, we find strength beyond our strength. We accomplish tasks beyond our capacity. We see solutions beyond our wisdom. Belief happens when we place our confidence in God. It is a decision to lean entirely upon the strength of a living and loving Savior. 

John’s chosen miracles are designed to serve as samples to us from God’s playbook. All the events that he relates stand together as one voice, calling on us to lift our eyes and open our heart to the possibility—indeed, the reality—that the greatest force in the universe is One who means us well and brings us hope. In these days of crisis, isolation, and depression, this message is needed more than ever. We want to know that someone cares. The apostle John wants us to know that God cares. We can believe in the strength of this loving God. 

You and I long for someone who will meet us in the midst of the chaos of life. We long to believe in a living, loving, miracle-working God who won’t think twice about stepping into our messes and lifting us out. The first miracle that John relates—that of Jesus turning water into wine (see John 2:1–12)—provides us with that hope. Jesus was willing to use his divine clout to turn water into wine at a wedding simply so that the family of the couple getting married wouldn’t be embarrassed or shamed. If he was willing to do this, how much more willing would he be to intervene on the weightier matters of life? The miracle of the water changed into wine gives us this message: our diminishing supplies, no matter how insignificant, matter to heaven.

God wants us to know that we can take our needs—all our needs—to him (see Philippians 4:6). It falls to him, as our heavenly Father, to heed the needs and respond to the requests of us, his children. So, I ask you—Have you asked? Have you turned your deficit into a prayer? 

Jesus will tailor a response to your precise need. He is not a fast-food cook but an accomplished chef who prepares unique blessings for unique situations (see Luke 4:40). A precise prayer gives Christ the opportunity to remove all doubt about his love and interest. Your problem becomes his pathway. The challenge you face becomes a canvas upon which he can demonstrate his finest work. So offer a simple prayer and entrust the problem to Christ. Put Jesus in charge of your problem—and trust him to do what is right (see John 2:5–10 and Ephesians 3:20).

Respond

How does your perspective on life and faith change when you feel alone or isolated?

How do you approach God when you have a specific need, no matter how great or how small? How have you seen God’s miraculous response to a prayer?

How would you describe your faith in God’s desire and ability to love and care for you abundantly? How does your faith dictate the fullness of your life (as described in John 20:31)?