Genesis 28:16
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
In times of stress and change, like when Jacob was fleeing from Esau, it is easy to feel alone or abandoned.
Sometimes, God may seem far away.
But He is actually with us, if we have been baptized into His Son, Jesus.
We are promised to receive God's Spirit when we are baptized.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
This fulfills the promise Jesus made to us.
John 14:15-17
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Which also fulfills God's promise.
Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
God changes our hearts.
Softens us to be loving and caring as He is.
If we will live our lives in obedience and love, the Lord is with us.
Not just sometimes.
Not just in the good times.
But also, God is with us in the hard times.
The difficult years of change and struggle.
Even when we do not understand and feel alone and abandoned, the Lord is with us.
And we will have hard times in this life.
There will be times of loss and hurt.
But God is with us.
Paul was not alone but was shipwrecked and beaten and stoned and finally executed.
Even though the Lord was with him.
Sometimes, like Jacob after his dream, we just need to realize we are not alone.
Wherever we are, the Lord is there with us.
Why is He with us?
Why give us His Spirit?
He is the Spirit of Truth, to guide us in all truth.
To help us understand God's Scriptures, the Bible.
Jesus called Him the Helper, so He is to help us.
And He is also called the Comforter, so He is to comfort us
Because the Lord knows we need help and comfort in this life.
So, if you are following Jesus, remember, where you are, the Spirit of God is also.
You are not alone or abandoned.
Reach out to the Lord for help and comfort.
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