Article

Never Alone

By Gwen Sikkema

Scripture Reading: Matthew 17:1-9

But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” Matthew 17:7

Imagine hiking a steep mountain with three of your friends. After a long, hard climb, you get to your destination and end up falling asleep. When you wake up, one of your friends is standing in front of you—his clothes are as white as the brightest light you have ever seen, and his face is shining just like the sun. I’d be terrified! Continue imagining that your friend (who is glowing) is also conversing with two other friends, but you know they are no longer living. Then, as if your fear level would not be high enough, imagine an actual cloud coming down and covering the three figures in front of you, then you hear the voice of someone not on the mountainside with you. This voice says, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him!” I’m pretty sure at this point I would be falling on the ground in total fear. We would most likely be thinking, “What is going on here!?” We all have times of unexplainable fear. What is happening? Why is this happening to me? How can I make sense of what I’m going through? How come I feel like I have no control in life?

Imagine with me once more. When you look up, only your friend is standing there, and the others have now disappeared. Then your dear friend, your mentor, walks over to you, puts his hand on your shoulder and says, “stand up, you do not need to be afraid.”

I know it sounds cliché to say to someone who is going through a fearful time, “Imagine Jesus standing next to you with his hand on your shoulder. Remember, you never go through any trials by yourself. Jesus is with you. He doesn’t want you to be afraid.” And yet, this is precisely what Jesus says to Peter, James, and John. It should never sound cliché to us. 

What issues are you going through that are producing unexplained fear in your life? How about the lives of close friends or relatives? We need to continually remind ourselves that we do not need to fear because Jesus is right beside us. We are never alone.

Father, thank you for being there, even when I feel alone. Help me to trust in you with all of my fears—including the ones I cannot explain. Amen. 

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