The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1
Years of one health problem after another seemed to
condense into that one word. Alone. I don’t want to be sick. I don’t want to do
this. I don’t want to do this alone.
Illness is a lonely thing by its very nature. We
each have our own experience in pain that no one else shares quite in the same
way. It is very subjective.
The trip to a specialty clinic thousands of miles
away was a gift from God, a chance to see if the myriad symptoms attacking my
body made sense to anyone. But two weeks of intense and intrusive testing and
therapy meant I had to go alone. I have flown alone. I’ve driven alone, but
there was always someone I knew waiting at the other end. This time there would
be no one. To make the trip alone was one thing. To eat every meal, go to every
doctor and therapist, spend every evening and two weekends alone, with no one
to make me laugh when I felt like crying, no one to share my frustrations, or
help me navigate around the massive complex—I cried just thinking about it.
Then a voice whispered in my ear. “I will be with
you. You are never alone. Trust me. Focus on what I will do. Look for what I
can show you. We’ll do this together.” I don’t know what God will do yet, but I
will not be alone. God is in the midst of this trial. I will not fear.
Dear Lord, wrap your arms around those who are
lonely and hurting. Whisper your presence into our darkness. Speak your truth
into our circumstances. Shout your love into our loneliness. Remind us of your
presence. Give us your peace. Help us go forth in hope and faith. Remind us we
are never alone. Amen.
©
Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, February 16, 2016
About the author:
Norma
Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, winner of the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction
Award. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and
poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and
in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers
and Romance Writers of America. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains
of New Mexico with her husband of 40 years. They have two adult children.
Connect with
Norma:
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Norma, thank you for this post that is perfect for me today. My friend has just landed in Houston for her seventh visit to M.D. Anderson. I wasn't able to travel with her but her daughter is meeting her there and your prayer is much what I texted her recently. I just want her to be assured that God will wrap his arms around her!
ReplyDeleteNorma, thank you for this lovely reminder that we are never alone as God is always walking with us no matter the circumstance or where we are at--in a crowd or all alone.
ReplyDelete