Not Alone

Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 142; ISAIAH 53:3-6

Imagine this: You walk into the room, and everyone reacts. Some point. Some stare. Some laugh. Apparently gossip spreads quickly, and so do videos. You look around and don’t see a single kind face or one person you could possibly sit with. You turn and run.

Have you ever felt completely alone? Have you felt like everyone was against you and you didn’t have anyone on your side? It’s hard to face rejection, to feel alone, or to be scared about what’s happening in your life. And it can be especially hard when difficult things are going on and you feel like you have absolutely no one you can turn to.

But the good news is, we can always turn to God. No matter what’s happened, no matter what we’ve done, God is always with us. Just look at Psalm 142. David shares how he feels completely alone. He mentions that no one is concerned about him. He feels friendless and unprotected. So David cries out to God from a place of despair and realizes that he is not as alone as he feels. God is with him. That same God is with us. In every tough situation and every fear.

Being alone isn’t fun, and facing life alone can be scary, but even when it feels like the people around us have all turned their backs on us, Jesus is there. We can trust that He is with us. We can ask Him to send people to support us. When we feel overwhelmed and like we have no one else to lean on, we can always lean on Him. • Emily Acker

• Can you think of a time you felt alone? Do you feel alone right now? Consider taking some time to follow David’s example and pour out your heart to God, telling Him all about whatever you’ve been going through. God hears you, and He wants to be your refuge (Psalm 142:5).

• Because God wants so much to be with us, Jesus came and lived among us. Jesus can truly empathize with all our struggles; He knows what it’s like to be hurt and rejected (Isaiah 53:3). When He was arrested and unjustly accused, His closest friends all ran away and abandoned Him (Matthew 26:56). But Jesus was willing to go through all the rejection and suffering and humiliation of thecross because of His love for us. Though we have all rejected Jesus and turned our backs on Him, His love for us has never changed. Because Jesus died for us and then rose from the grave, everyone who trusts in Him is brought near to God. (Find out more our "Know Jesus" page.) Romans 15:7 says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” How has Jesus accepted and welcomed us? How could you welcome lonely people in your own life?

“Surely I [Jesus] am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NIV)