“I am with you.” (Jeremiah 15:20)

Thought this was something that we all go through and wanted to share. This is taken from the 28 July Meditation from Word Among Us.

Surely each of us has had tough days. Maybe even tough weeks or months. One problem after another seems to pile up—sometimes relatively inconsequential things: We oversleep and are late for work or school, we misplace something valuable, or someone else gets the attention we want. We may face much more serious setbacks: We lose our job, our health fails, or we feel alone or isolated. We may even suffer when we see those we love undergoing hardships. Our faith can be shaken to the point where we begin to question whether God really is with us.

Jeremiah has important words for us at times like these: God has not abandoned us! As a prophet of the Lord, he went through difficulty himself. Just think of how it felt when he was arrested and almost killed for speaking the word of the Lord. Or imagine what it cost him to experience in his own heart the pain that God feels when his people turn from him. In the midst of these hardships, Jeremiah cried out to God, and God comforted him. Did Jeremiah have to face his own failings and repent? Yes. Did he have to continue on despite the difficulty? Yes. But God affirmed that he would always be with Jeremiah and would deliver and rescue him.

Do you feel burdened? Do you feel that your relationship with God is not what it once was? Don’t give up! It’s precisely at those times when you don’t feel God’s presence that you need to exercise your faith all the more. Go ahead and repent if you need to. Take a deep breath, offer a silent prayer of trust, and take up your cross again. Choose to keep going, even if you are apprehensive. You will find the Lord walking with you, even if it’s in unexpected ways.

It is beyond question that God loves you. Today, take hold of opportunities to put your faith into practice. When your hope begins to waver, reread God’s promises to Jeremiah. Let the Holy Spirit comfort you so that you can walk on in confidence. God is walking right next to you. He is faithful. He will bring about his purposes in you!

“Father, help me to see that you are always with me. I believe that you have not abandoned me. I trust in your unfailing love.”