YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Bible Text: Hebrews 13:5, PSALM 118:

INTRODUCTION

There many times in life when men feel they are alone because all things seem to work against them. But God’s word says in Hebrews 13:5b “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

NAOMI

Naomi was in that situation. She lost her husband in Moab, as if that was not enough; she lost her two Sons - Mahlon and Chilion: “And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother’s house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each [of you] in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept (Ruth 1:8-9)”. Naomi and her daughters in law wept bitterly, weight of the tragedies that befell Naomi was heavy and must have felt she was alone as said in Ruth 1:20-22: “And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why [then] call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me? So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.” But the story of Naomi suddenly took a new turn few years later as recorded in Ruth 4: 13-17: “So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son. And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed [be] the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel. And he shall be unto thee a restorer of [thy] life, and a nourisher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than seven sons, hath born him. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi; and they called his name Obed: he [is] the father of Jesse, the father of David.” Hebrews 13:5 says, “[Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Naomi in her travail must felt left alone, but our God never leaves nor forsake his own as the women in Naomi’s days testified “And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed [be] the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman.” I do not know what you may be passing through right as you are reading this devotional, but one thing I am sure of is that you are not alone. Mathew 11:28 says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Shalom!

ELIJAH – 1 KINGS 19:1-7

CASE STUDY: TURNING POINT

King Jehoiachin of Israel was taken captive along with several other children of Israel by Nebuchaddresser, the King of Babylon. Through God’s intervention, King Jehoiachin was miracously released by a King whose name connotes evil – Evilmeroldach: “And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison. And spake kindly unto him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, And changed his prison garments: and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of his life.  And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, everyday a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life.” – Jeremiah 52:30-34. The above event marked a turning point in life of King Jehoiachin.

CASE STUDY: MEPHEBOSETH’s TURNAROUND

In 2 Samuel 9:1-13, the bible records the very pathetic story of Saul’s grandson by Jonathan called Mephibosheth. During the crisis that ousted King Saul from Office, one of Saul’s servants tried to escape with Mephibosheth and mistakenly dropped in the process and he became lame on both legs. And so because both Saul and Jonathan had died, and the bulk of their wealth and properties seized by the New Government in power,    Mephibosheth had to go through a lot of suffering (like moving from the palace to the slump). But when the time came for God to do a New Thing in the life of Mephibosheth, God caused King David to remember the kindness of his late friend – Jonathan. So David made inquiry to find out if there was still any remaining from the household of Jonathan. In the cause of the search, David’s servants located one of Saul’s former servant called Ziba who told David that there still one of Jonathan’s son remaining at place called Lodebar whose name was Mephibosheth. David sent to fetch him at once and as soon as he came ordered that all Saul’s wealth and properties be given to Mephibosheth. Not only that, he ordered that Mephibosheth will continually eat at his table on a daily basis. When the time comes for God to do a new thing in your life, not even the devil can stop it.

Prayer: Oh LORD, come into my life, take charge and give me rest.