Scripture: Psalm 27:9-10; 14 NLT

When our youngest daughter was an adolescent- a time when she was not such a “little girl” yet not quite a teenager she had a saying. Whenever she realized or thought she was home alone she would call me and say “I’m all alone and unprotected.” My instincts as her mom would be to feel sad that she felt as though no one was with her and should any danger be lurking, she had no protection. Often, I wanted to run back to make sure she knew that I would not ever intentionally leave her abandoned. It was my job, I believed, to reassure her in that moment to let her know that she was safe in a locked home or that she wasn’t alone...her dad or her brother was in the house too, just in another room behind closed doors so it wasn’t apparent that they were there.

This reminds me of how we often feel even as adults when we are amid of a difficult trial or a hard circumstance. How many times have you been in that “all alone and unprotected” headspace? Although our daughter was really feeling that in a very natural sense, I began to see it in a spiritual sense. So I opened my Bible to see if this is a real thing! Well, if we search the Psalms we will soon find David many times feeling all alone and unprotected, the prophets often felt all alone and unprotected when they were sent to deliver a message that the people didn’t want to hear. Moses felt that feeling of all alone and unprotected from the restless crew called children of Israel when he had to lead them through the wilderness. He was certainly outnumbered and probably felt like he was alone as their leader to carry the burden of a job handed to him by God that he never applied for. 

I wonder how many people during this pandemic who have been isolated from family and friends, who have had to face unprecedented challenges often without the comfort of a companion have said they landed in that uncomfortable spot of being alone and unprotected? 

But there is great news for anyone who has ever felt this way. God knew we would all have times when we experienced that overwhelming feeling of being alone and unprotected. The writer of Hebrews 13:5b reminds all of us that He never leaves us or forsakes us. That should register in our hearts that we have a constant, consistent, and committed partner in the person of the Holy Spirit that is ever-present. 

So to answer my question; is this really a thing? The answer is both yes and no. Yes...if you just look around and you don’t see anyone with you in the room according to your natural senses, with your eyes or ears. But the answer is “no” once you learn to adjust to your visual and auditory senses from natural to spiritual.  

As you shift gears in the moment remember that although it appears we are alone in the battle, abandoned in our storm, unattended in the valley that the God we serve goes before us. 

David is our example that we can cry out to the Master and seek his providential presence in our darkest moments. Even if we have experienced human abandonment, God has made us His priority and will hold us close. Have confidence in His presence as we wait patiently for Him to make His presence known.

In those moments when you feel all alone in your battle, when you feel isolated in your struggles....try this:

Close your eyes...Feel His closeness...

Breathe in His safety...

Breathe out His security...

Breathe in His power...

Breathe out His omnipresence...

Repeat these words out loud: I am not alone, I am not unprotected. I am loved. I am under constant surveillance...in Jesus name.