Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 238

August 26;       John 16:32:       84/260(III);       ‘You’re Never Alone’

John 16:32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

What a comforting verse.  It does not start out that way, as Jesus tells His disciples that they will be scattered and He will be alone.  Jesus continues and tells us that He is not alone because the Father is with Him.  Hebrews 13:5 teaches that the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us.  You are never alone.  We all want human fellowship and especially as Christians we should do our best to include those we know are by themselves a great deal.  Yet even with our determined efforts, we cannot be with those who are lonely all of the time.  The Lord can be with them always and He is.  As you read the gospels, much is said about Jesus’ prayer time with His Father.  Their time together in prayer was intimate and the Lord Jesus could share everything with His Father.  This time of prayer had to bring great comfort to Jesus who was constantly challenged by the religious leaders.  The presence of the Lord in quiet, heartfelt prayer, allows us also to open our hearts to the Father in a way that brings His peace and comfort to us.  The Bible tells us in John 17:23 that the Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus.  If Jesus said He was never alone because the Father is with Him, then we can say the same thing.  There are times when human fellowship is not enough.  We were created to know, love and serve the Lord.  Prayer, setting all else aside is a gift we have been given.  This special time with the Lord abolishes loneliness.  Never alone.