1 Kings 8:57-58  ⁵⁷ The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he not leave us or abandon us,  ⁵⁸ but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors.

When you were a child, did you ever get separated from your parents in a store? When we discover that we are alone, we panic. We don’t know where to turn. We may even cry out for Mom or Dad. We only calm down when they come back in our sightlines and we know we are safe.

There are times in our lives when we feel like God has left us alone. We feel disoriented and lost. Our feelings come from two places: we have allowed sin to enter into our lives or we are experiencing a difficult time in our lives and are uncertain about our decisions. But, we need to remember that we are never away from God’s care and love. As we put our confidence in the Lord we will feel his presence come near. He will bring us back into contact and open our hearts to listen to his voice and follow his direction.

Lord, you are always with us. Help us to turn to you and listen for your voice. Amen.