Thursday, April 20, 2023

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Matthew 27:45-50

From time to time, we all are physically alone. Being alone appears in many different packages.

Being alone can come dressed as an empty nester whose last child has flown the coop; a widow or widower rambling around in a big house after decades of marriage; a young military wife who has no one to talk to because her husband has been deployed and the children are in school; or a single person who has lived without a housemate his entire adult life. Someone who is not in a relationship who dreads weekends because he or she doesn’t have a significant other to spend Friday nights and Saturday afternoons may also be alone.

Jesus knew there would be times when we would be physically alone. Yes, Jesus understood what it was to be alone. Remember him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Think about when he hung on the cross. Many surrounded him and watched. None of the disciples was hung with him. It was his two legs, his two feet, and his two sides that were pierced.

PRAYER: Lord, I am so grateful that you identified with the loneliness I feel at times. When it seems that it’s just you and me against the world, encourage me. When I feel like my world is closing in around me, comfort me. Help me to always feel your presence. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen