By Danny Minton

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and the tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods, and he was terrified! Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of the path. Then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long. 

Probably the most popular Psalm in the Bible is Psalm 23. It’s one that most of us have memorized somewhere in our past. 

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” 

Those six verses written thousands of years ago express to us that we are never alone. This ancient passage touches people’s hearts as much today as it did its author, who may have faced a lonely, scary night as a youth. Even today, no matter what is happening in our lives, we can always be assured that God is right there beside us. He promised as the Hebrew writer wrote, “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’  so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NASB)

There are times when we are alone that we can get the feeling that God seems to be nowhere to be found. We question Him, asking, “Why?” We ask as so many of His followers have asked over the centuries, “Where are you, God? Do you care? I need you to help me through this situation!” We feel abandoned and see hopelessness in our lives or in the lives of those around us, instead of seeing the hope he has to give us.

Our problem is that we too often listen to all the negative around us, like the young Indian brave sitting in the dark. He sat in fear, praying for daylight to come and bring him to safety. The sounds, as small as they were, were terrifying. Just think, if he had known his father was there all along, those sounds would not have been frightening at all, and his night would have been peaceful.

The same is for us. If we just realize that God is with us day and night, we don’t have to pay attention to the negative things thrown at us. We can rest assured that the Lord is with us, loving and caring for what we are going through. Realizing this, we can rest peacefully in the knowledge of his care. We can have the same assurance Jesus gave  his disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NASB)

As you sit in the darkness of the low points in your life, try not to focus on the voices of negativity around you. Don’t let the world be so loud that you live in fear and anxiety with your troubles. Instead, close your eyes and listen for that one voice that brings light into your darkest hours, the voice of God’s indwelling Spirit, encouraging you with the simple thought, “You are never alone.”

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ