No, never alone

John 14:1-3

 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

I know that most people see this passage as a promise of heavenly dwelling places, and it is.  But what I saw in it as I read it afresh this morning, was a promise for guidance and godly leadership from our Christ and Savior.  I see it as a time of preparation, for our hearts and souls, to become reliant upon our Savior.

First, God calls us to take hold of our emotions, our thoughts, our fears “Do not let your heart be troubled. 

The words “Do not let,” imply our responsibility over our thoughts, and I see that it means, I choose how I respond to the things happening in and around me.  I have the ability to choose my response, (response-ability)

Second, we are called to believe in Christ as firmly as we do the Father.  Believe in God, believe also in Me.

Jesus claims to be God, He is God in the flesh,  He says “I and the Father are One.”  We can trust Him as implicitly as we trust God Himself, because He is God.  We are called to respond in faith to God, to Christ.

 ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

The family of God is never too full.  We will never find a “No vacancy” sign hanging in God’s window.  God is always reaching out to us, always beckoning us to come to Him.  God loves us so much, that He is preparing a place for us, a place of belonging, a place of acceptance; just as I am, right here, right now.
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.
We are cherished, precious and wanted by God. He prepares our way before us, and comes and leads us forward with Him. He leads us every step of the way, in His will. Sometimes we need to be alone a lot, in order to learn of Him, from Him, with Him. Like a student, who is called out alone with the Master, and told, “Nothing else exists outside of Me, for you at this time.”
I was isolated by God, for a time. I had nowhere to run, and no one to run to. I was in a place of isolation, but I learned to turn to Him, lean on Him, feed on His love, His acceptance, His grace. It was scary at first, but as I look back on it now, I am forever grateful for that time alone. For truly, I was actually never alone, no, never alone. When I stopped clawing at the walls He had put in place, to fence me in, and instead moved toward the center of this place; I found Him to be there, with me, and I was no longer afraid.
God is Good, always good, even when what is happening in and around us looks very bleak…God is Good