“THE LORD WILL HOLD ME CLOSE”
«Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close» (Psalm 27:10, NLT).
EVEN Though our planet is more inhabited than ever before in its history, we are living with an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. According to a report published by the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, one third of those over the age of forty-five and a quarter of those over the age of sixty-five feel alone or are socially isolated. That lack of interaction with other people affects our social, physical, and emotional well-being. Those who are socially isolated are at fifty percent greater risk of suffering from dementia; are four times as likely to die from heart failure; and are more prone to depression, anxiety, and suicide.*
God’s word tells us it’s not good for people to «be alone» (Genesis 2:18). Loneliness eats away at our soul, represses our heart, and blinds our eyes. Humans are always in need of a «helper.» The wise king declared, «Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no» one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?» (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11).
It’s possible, however, that you may be feeling like David, that you are «alone and in deep distress» (Psalm 2S:16, NLT). As he fled and sought refuge in lonely caves in the desert, David clung to God’s promise amid his terrible loneliness: «Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close» (Psalm 27:10, NLT). Everyone might forget we exist, but when the woeful alienation grips us and cuts off our breath, we need to remember that Christ is with us, that we can receive His embrace, and that He will never abandon us.
Even if everyone forgets we exist, God knows what goes on with each of us, because “no tears are shed that God does not notice.
The prophet underscores that same truth when he says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you“ (Isaiah 49:15).
” National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities {or the Healthcare System (Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2020).
**Ellen G. White, Mind, Character, and Personality (Nashville, Tennessee: Southern Publishing Association, 1977), vol. 1, p. 12.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Avineyda Hernandez